Contact
by curlytop92
Summary: Everyone loves a nice vacation. FYI- this is my first story. Two years after Sozin's Comet. kinda fluffy - please review!
1. Homecoming

**Prologue**

Fire, nothing but fire, increasing in intensity every second, threatening to kill him. The flames licked at his burgundy robes, burning the fabric. There's only one thing he can hear through the roar of the inferno. It was her voice, her, the object if his dream. But where was she? She screamed for help, screaming in pain. He looked for her, spinning in every direction, but no luck. Then, everything was silenced. Even the fire ceased its rampage and in its place, was darkness. In front of him, lay a small, red jewel with a strange symbol on it. What was that symbol? Suddenly, he woke up, confused. It was all a dream.

Breathing heavily, and sweating like he had just run a marathon, Zuko rose from his bed in a panic. What was happening to him? This was the fourth time this week that he had had that nightmare. His room was dark, but he had no trouble navigating through it, for he knew it well. Zuko made his way out onto his balcony, searching listening for the one thing that could possibly bring an end to these freakish nightmares. An airship.

**Chapter 1**

Katara sat in complete and utter silence (and boredom) on her vessel. The month spent at the North Pole was nice, but she had grown accustomed to the warm climate of the Fire Nation. It had been two years since the downfall of Fire Lord Ozai and she had been appointed by Fire Lord Zuko, official Representative from the Water Tribe to the Fire Nation (never in Fire Nation history had a sixteen-year-old been appointed to such a high rank, but then again, never had their been an eighteen-year-old Fire Lord). Katara had been gathering public opinion on the current political situation concerning the Fire Nation and furthering her water bending skills. She had been taught all sorts of sacred healing arts and even furthered her blood bending but only a little, to where she could actually lift people off the ground without hurting them.

Katara rose from where she was seated on the floor, to look over the rail of the airship. She could see the large islands of the Fire Nation in the distance. This made her heart leap for joy. She couldn't wait to see all of her friends. Hakoda and Sokka were Zuko's military advisors, Toph was still just Toph, not wanting to be involved in politics, and Suki was the official Ambassador of the Earth Kingdom. Aang, being the Avatar, was running around on diplomatic missions, just keeping the peace, so he wasn't home.

As her ship approached the loading dock, Katara could hear the shouts and cries from her friends. As she got closer, she could see five figures on the dock, waving their arms and jumping up and down. Katara mumbled to herself

"Wow. Was I really missed that much?"

The ship landed with a loud thud as everyone rushed to the door to greet Katara. She stepped onto the loading dock into the mass of hugs, kisses (from Sokka), and 'welcome homes'. The greeting was most appreciated.

"Guys! You act like you haven't seen me in years. What's gotten into you?" Toph came forward and punched Katara on the shoulder (playing of course).

"Believe it or not, Sugar Queen, we actually miss your nagging" she explained. Katara knew exactly how to counter Toph's annoying jibes, so she wrapped her arms around the earthbender, trapping her in a girly hug.

"Aw, Toph, I missed you too!" she replied. Toph immediately broke away from the embrace, disgusted.

"Blagh!" she yelled. Katara couldn't help but giggle in her triumph. Everyone else laughed at the scene too.

Sokka was the next to get a personal greeting from his little sister. The two had their differences, but both were very family-oriented, making it hard for them to stay away from each other, as much as they fought. Sokka threw his arms around Katara as she threw hers around him.

"Welcome home, Katara" he greeted in a rather serious tone, which was quite the accomplishment for him.

Suki was next in line for the homecoming. She and the waterbender had become the best of friends, seeing as how both were simply teenage girls. Even though Katara was extremely mature for her age, had a high position in the council, and Suki was engaged, the two still made time for sleepovers, shopping, and spas. Katara would have hung out with Toph, but she didn't like all the things the other girls did.

Katara was suddenly hugged again by Suki.

"I'm so glad you're home! Seriously, I was getting tired of hanging out with the guys and Toph all the time. The next time you go on a trip, take me with you." Katara giggled as Suki stepped away, leaving one last person to greet. Zuko.

Katara scanned the faces before her, but could find no Zuko. "Where's our wonderful Fire Lord Zuko? Has he gotten shy or lazy?" she asked, teasing. Suddenly, she heard quick footsteps behind her; two arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air.

"How's my favorite representative?!" shouted Zuko from behind. Katara tried to loosen his grip from her, but to no avail. Laughing hysterically, she attempted a simple command.

"Put me down!" Zuko quickly loosened his grasp and let her land, lightly, on her feet. Quickly turning around, Katara shoved him back, playing rough now. Zuko put his hands in front of himself in an innocent gesture, showing he meant no harm.

"Hey! I was just trying to make your life easier! I assumed you'd be tired!" he pleaded. Katara put her hands on her hips and just stood there and stared him down. After moments of agonizing silence from everyone, Katara started laughing again.

"Hello, Zuko. It's good to see you too" she snickered. She rushed at him and gave him a big hug around the neck. Relieved that she wasn't upset, Zuko returned the favor with much enthusiasm.

Zuko was one of the people she like hugging the most, maybe because it used to be so hard. All the rage and anger had been holding her back until a couple of short years ago. She could still remember every detail concerning the first time she actually embraced the firebender out of sheer appreciation. She was surprised to find how right she felt in his hold, how at peace she had felt when she finally accepted him. That same nagging feeling had resided in her through those years, dormant, and now was threatening to manifest itself in a very unexpected way.


	2. It's not a Date!

**Chapter 2**

That evening, the group decided that it would be best if they all went out on a picnic to further celebrate the homecoming of their favorite waterbender. Katara actually requested that there be no servants on the outing, so the rest of the group could get a good feel of their old camping days. No one wanted to admit it, but there was something about cooking miniscule food over an open fire that brought them closer together.

"Here's to the good ole days!" shouted Sokka from his position around the fire. Everyone, hesitantly, held up their small, metal cups in silence, embarassed at the corniness of his remark.

"So, Katara… how did your trip go?" asked Suki, sitting next to Sokka.

"It went very well. It seems like the rest of the world is okay with Zuko's decisions so far. I'm just worried about how some people in the Fire Nation will feel about the arrangement" she replied.

"I haven't gotten word on any rebellions yet. I think that if someone was going to try something, they'd have done it by now" Zuko added. Katara looked at the fire before her, puzzling on the issue.

"I think that it would be safer for everyone if we kept up our guard. Maybe they're just … preparing" she concluded. Now, everyone was silent in reaction to Katara's ominous comment. "What? I'm just saying that we can never be too careful." Zuko sighed as he contemplated the growing danger, which may not even be there.

"I agree with Katara. We shouldn't let our guard down if there is any chance that someone could get hurt" he stated simply. The group nodded their heads in approval.

"Well, we can't really jump to any conclusions until Aang gets back" added Sokka.

"Hey! I thought we came out here to get all mushy-gushy over the 'old days' and how 'glad' we are that Sugar Queen, here is back to nag us to death." That was Toph. She had obviously gotten bored with the whole subject of politics. Katara giggled at the rebellious earthbender. Even if her words were harsh (and rude), she had made her point. Everyone soon, loosened up. Toph was actually the first to ask of Katara's new waterbending techniques.

"So, Sugar Queen, have you learned any new tricks or are you just as predictable as you've always been?" Toph asked. Katara rolled her eyes and stood from the log on which she was seated. Focusing her mind and energy on the water she couldn't see, she raised her hands toward the fire in front of her. Coating her hands in a constant stream of water, she thrust her arm into the flames. It was hot, but not unbearable. Suddenly, she felt hands grabbing her waist frantically and pulling her back. She fell back onto the log next to Zuko, his eyes big and filled with fear.

"What did you do that for?!" she scolded. He glared at her in all ferocity.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing!" he shot back. "I just didn't think a _waterbender_ should be throwing her hand into her opposite element." His tone softened as the words came out of his mouth. Katara snickered like he was stupid. What was he missing? What was she thinking?

Why was she looking at him like he had- done something _really_ stupid.

"I _was _going to show everyone how I could protect myself from a fire by using my waterbending, but obviously, you know more about it than me" she concluded sharply. This was probably one of the most embarrassing moments he had ever experienced in his life (all except for one). Katara sat there, blue eyes boring into him like daggers. What was his explanation now? Once again, Suki was the one to chime in, rescuing the two from another awkward silence.

"Well, I think that we've all had a big day. Maybe we should head back to the palace now." Katara averted her gaze away from the Fire Lord as she rose and began dousing the fire. Everyone picked up their belongings and began walking back to the palace. Zuko approached Katara shortly before going inside.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just… afraid that you might have…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Burned myself?" she replied. Her tone wasn't what he expected; it was soft and understanding. She looked at him like a mother looks at a child after he has cried over spilled tea. Zuko's face blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, but I guess I should have trusted you. I didn't know you had gotten that good." Katara looked impressed with his comment. They approached the door that led inside the hallway with the bedrooms.

"Well, I appreciate your concern for my well being. I'm sorry I snapped at you, it was immature of me" she answered back. Even though she had forgiven him long ago, and they were thick as thieves today, this _apology_ was most unexpected. Katara normally wasn't one to admit she was wrong, or immature for that matter. He didn't know what to say to her now. She pushed through the door and into the next hallway, leaving Zuko to puzzle over her words. Quickly realizing she was slipping away, he jerked back to reality and to her side.

"Hey, don't worry. I've been a little… jumpy… these past few days" he told her, remembering the horrible dream he'd had for the past four nights and realizing that she was the first person to whom he had told of his problems. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a sweet smile. 'Did it just get hotter in here?' he thought to himself.

"How much sleep do you get at night?" she asked abruptly. Zuko had lost track of time due to all the paper work that was thrown at him every day. He had been so busy lately that he only had time for two hours of sleep every night and one meal every day. There was no time for anything else. He remembered that he was supposed to be answering her question when she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I guess I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately" he confessed. Katara raised her hand to rub her chin in contemplation. She then looked up to see that the two of them standing in front of her door at the very end of the hallway. She looked back at him with, suddenly, with deep, azure eyes. They swam with various emotions: relief, confusion, concern.

"I suggest that you take the day off tomorrow and, maybe, go on a vacation or something" she suggested. Zuko now realized that he had never actually taken a 'vacation'. Katara put a soft hand on his shoulder, causing his heart to skip a beat. 'Uh oh!'

"Um, I don't think I can. I have three meetings and we're having a party tomorrow night… and… I was… wondering if… you…uh…" he paused for a long while. What was he doing? This was completely impromptu. He wasn't planning on going _with_ anyone. The words began pouring from his mouth. "… if you would go with me." What did he say?! Her eyes were now filled with surprise. The expression faded into a 'Hmmmmm…' look. '_Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…'_ She finally looked him square in the eye, her face sure and courageous.

"I would be honored to go with you." Zuko let out a sigh of relief. But, why? Did he like her? 'Ugh! You're looking too closely at the situation!' she thought to herself. Katara suddenly threw up a skinny finger and waved it in his face, like a mother scolding her child. "But if you can't make it through the day, we are all going on a long vacation. Understand? Spirits know, you need it." She stepped inside her doorway, about to retire, when Zuko finished the conversation.

"We all do." With that, she closed the door with a smile, leaving Zuko ponder his thoughts. He quickly strode back down the hall towards his bedroom where two guards were posted on either side of the double doors. He was in a good mood, so he let them off the hook for the night. "Hey guys. Your services won't be needed tonight. Take it easy." The guards looked at each other and disappeared around the corner. Zuko sighed in relief as he entered his private chamber. Having around-the-clock protection was nice, but it could get a little annoying.

Zuko finally readied himself for a good night's sleep (after he untangled the stupid Fire Nation comb from his hair. What a royal pain.'). He threw himself onto the oversized bed with a big "Hffff". No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his meetings tomorrow, his mind kept drifting to his **date** for tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, Katara had changed into her silk nightgown and robe. She sat in a large, fluffy chair and combed through the tangles in her hair with her fingers, just thinking. _'Did I just say yes to a date with _Zuko_? No! It's not a date! We're just friends; we're jus friends… right?' _ A sudden tap on the closed door jerked her out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Come in!" she replied. The door opened slowly and a very excited Suki peeked around the corner. Katara was glad to see such a friendly face; someone she could talk to, openly, about anything. "Hey Suki."

The Kyoshi warrior quickly pranced over to the chair sitting opposite Katara and let out a high-pitched squeal. "Eeeeeeh!!!!" Katara lifted an eyebrow, signaling for Suki to elaborate on her unexpected outburst.

"I heard the whole thing" she said, waving her arms in a reassuring manner.

"Heard what?" asked Katara, although she already had a pretty good idea of what her friend was talking about.

"Hello?! Zuko just asked you to the party tomorrow!" she burst out. Katara stretched her legs out as far as they would reach from the chair. She was actually a little excited too.

"Oh that. He just- Wait, how did you know that?" Suki adopted a sheepish grin as her face turned red. Katara grabbed hold of a throw pillow and launched it at the other girl. "Eavesdropper!" Suki quickly caught the pillow and launched it right back at Katara.

"Hey, how can you ignore something like that? The most powerful person in the Fire Nation Just asked you to a _dance_!" Suki said this with great deliberation, as if Katara couldn't understand her.

"I think your instincts are getting as bad as Sokka's. Zuko doesn't feel that way; we're just good friends" she replied.

"Well, there are ways that we girls can magically see into the mind of a boy," Suki waved her hands in front of her face dramatically, "and see if he really_ is_ as love-struck as we anticipate."


	3. Preparations

**Chapter 3**

The next day, Katara spent most of her time fussing over her appearance for the rapidly approaching night. After what Suki said about this evening being a _date_, she was going all out. Katara scanned her enormous closet for a dress that would flatter, but not scream 'skank!' Soon, she came across a shimmering, blue halter dress that would probably make any boy's heart skip a beat. She slipped on the frock and marveled at her reflection in the full length mirror.

"Well well well, look at you!" Katara turned quickly to see Suki standing behind her in her own party clothes. She was garbed in a green dress, completed with a gold waistband. All together, she looked beautiful.

"I was about to say the same thing" she replied.

"Ooooooh! You look like you've got a hot date tonight, no pun intended." Katara blushed at the comment, because she had to admit, Zuko _was_ rather _hot._

"Well, I don't want to brag, but…" Katara trailed off as she let Suki get a good look at her in the dress. She put a hand up to her chin, pondering the sight.

"Very nice. The halter top accents your curvy form, but not _too_ much." Suki sounded just like some kind of wardrobe consultant.

"What are you, an expert? It's just a dress" Katara explained.

"Oh, of course it is, but what will our Fire Lord think when he sees those cute, bare shoulders? What will cross his mind when he has to put a hand on that tiny waist of yours? Yes, I think you've set a truly wicked trap for the boy" she continued with a sly smile. Katara decided to play along with the sarcasm. She put both hands on her hips and adopted a somewhat suggestive pose.

"Oh yes, because that was my intention- to seduce the Fire Lord, wearing a shoulder-revealing, curve-hugging frock." Suki giggled at the jest from Katara, who in turn, switched to another suggestive form. This time, she was sprawled out across a luxurious couch, letting the light blue silk of her dress fan across the furniture. Suki burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. This was one of those moments that typical teens have when they're with their best friends.

"Sadly, I have never seen such a wild looking Katara in all my life" said a rough voice from the doorway. Katara gasped in horror as Zuko strode into the room (not even in his ceremonial robes, but a casual shirt and pants. "I see you're ready for tonight," he said, smiling at the sight of Katara laid out across the sofa. She quickly regained her composure and shot up from the couch as fast as she could, smoothing out the wrinkles in the dress as she rose.

"Oh please! Don't make fun of _me_ while you're standing there, thirty minutes before the gala, in a shirt and trousers." Katara was proud of her smart comeback. She grabbed the side of the dress that flared out at the bottom and flicked it upward as she turned back towards the mirror. Zuko gave Suki an awkward glance, telling her that she may want to leave.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going. Sokka will be very upset if he's not the first one in line for the buffet." With that, the girl strode towards the door, giving Katara a wink in the mirror, which she caught clearly, because her face turned a bright red.

"The reason I come here like this," he gestured to his ragtag appearance "is because I want your opinion on something." Katara slowly turned from the mirror and eyed him curiously. 'He wants _my _help?' she pondered to herself.

"My best advice for you would first, be to put on a more suitable outfit" she replied, her comment dripping with sarcasm. Zuko just rolled his eyes at her smart remarks.

"No. I mean my hair. What should I do about my hair?"

"Your _hair_?"

"Yeah, should I put it up or just leave it down?" Katara was taken aback by his deep concern for vanity. She wasn't even sure that she had ever seen a mirror in his room, (not that she had spent much time in there). Then, she remembered what Suki had said about the signs that would be shown if he liked her. _"If he tries to please you, or spends a little more time on his image, that means that he wants your approval, meaning that he wants you to like him back." _

"Well, uh… I don't know, Zuko. What do you want to do? It's not like you _have _to wear it up… Why?" Zuko's face turned red as he rubbed the back of his head in obvious embarrassment.

"That stupid comb thingy hurts my head after I wear it for a while. I know I sound dumb, but I am not going to be able to "chat it up" with a bunch of diplomats if I have a hairpiece digging into my head." Zuko had made a good point. Katara could understand his problem. She had had hair problems before, and they were** not **fun.

"I have an idea. Go get dressed and come back here" Katara said to the confused Fire Lord. He nodded his head in approval and left the room in silence as Katara turned back towards her mirror, now wondering what to do with her mess of hair. She realized now, that she had no idea what to do with the stuff. Mostly, she wanted it out of her face, so her dress would be the focal point of the ensemble. She twisted and wrapped her long hair to where it was in a messy bun in the back of her head; a few fly-aways, but nothing too bad. It looked rather cute, all together. She only wished that there was something she could put in her hair, like a clip or a barrette.

Soon, there was a quiet knock on the door. Katara rushed over and opened it to a very regal looking Zuko. He was sporting his burgundy and gold robes, signature of royalty. He was almost complete, all except for the hair. It hung in disarray around his face, giving him a wild, savage look. Katara gestured over to the stool in front of her vanity.

Zuko eyed the vanity counter top, covered in brushes, combs, and clips. "Am I here for a _makeover_?" he asked nervously. Katara waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't be silly. Guys don't get makeovers, at least, they like to think they don't." She smirked at him playfully, pushing him down onto the seat in front of the mirrors. Before he even had time to respond, she grabbed a comb from the counter and began running it through his thick hair. It was much longer than she had ever remembered it being. It hung in front of his face, hiding any expression from anyone.

"I look stupid" he said in a dull tone. Katara quickly brought the comb down.

"How would you know what you look like? You can't see past your hair!" She brought her hands around to his face and lifted his bangs revealing a scowl. "Wait here. I'll be back." Katara hurried into her private bathroom and rummaged through some drawers until she found what she was looking for, while Zuko sat and waited patiently, playing with his long hair in front of his face. Soon, Katara emerged from the bathroom with a pair of scissors.

"You are **NOT **going to cut my hair!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the scissors in the waterbender's hand.

"I'm not going to take off a lot, just about an inch." She moved behind him and, after putting down the scissors, used her hands to lift his head slightly. Her hands felt cool to the touch, like nothing he had ever felt before. Before he knew it, his eyes were closed and he was leaning into the embrace, letting her know that she could cut. Katara picked up the scissors and began the operation. A snip here; a snip there; in about three minutes, she brought her hand down to his shoulder, letting him know she was done. 'Already?' When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that she was true to her word. It didn't look bad at all, in fact, it looked better than it ever had- _ever_. Initially, he was afraid that she might hack it all off, forcing him to wait months before it grew out again.

"Wow" was all he could say. "It's not bad at all." He turned to look up at Katara, holding the scissors, looking confused.

"Did you think I was going to do a _bad_ job?" she asked. Zuko suddenly felt ashamed for what he said and that he had obviously hurt her feelings. To his relief, she suddenly started giggling. "I'm just kidding. Man, your face just got as red as your robes" she snickered. This was a very 'Oops!' moment.

"Sorry, I've never had my friend cut my hair before" he explained. He turned back around to face the mirror, eyeing his appearance. Everything was so… right at this moment, and then she started running her fingers through his hair, giving it a more natural look, however, he couldn't see because his eyes were closed again. That tingling sensation overtook him as she adjusted his hair. However, he knew that he wasn't supposed to feel this way about her, that they were just friends. But why did he ask her in the first place? Why was he looking to gain her approval on his appearance? Maybe he did like her as more than a common companion.

Katara kept running her fingers through his hair, trying to make it look perfect. She had never noticed how fun his hair was to play with; it was extremely pliable and now, light and soft. She laughed silently as she noticed that his eyes were closed. Sooner or later, she would have to stop, because he would surely notice. She pulled her hands away and let him stand up.

"I. Am. Good" she said aloud. Zuko rolled his eyes at her cocky remark. She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "I guess we're ready" she mused.

"We still have a few minutes to spare, besides, they can't start without me" he replied. Katara felt a little intimidated now. Zuko reached into the inside pocket of his robe and pulled out a small, blue box. "Anyway, I got you something." Katara gasped as memory of another one of Suki's signs popped into her head. _If he gives you something, it means that he actually spent time and money on this evening. He wants it to be perfect. _Slowly, she reached out a trembling hand to receive the gift. The box itself was a deep blue velvet and accented with gold threads, making Katara think of her time in the Northern Water Tribe. She unclasped the latch on the front of the box and opened it to reveal a silver comb with the Water Tribe Symbol on it.

"Oh" was her exasperated reaction. She removed the article from the cushion and marveled at it. It shone with a radiant brilliance that could make anyone do a double-take and the edges were smoothed to a gleaming perfection. "Zuko, this is so beautiful." Katara ran her fingers over the insignia at the top, taking in the sight.

"Toph actually offered to help, in her own way. She found the silver" he explained. Katara was still in shock from the present.

"How did you get it to shine so brightly? I've never seen silver this smooth." She couldn't keep herself from running her hand over the metal again and again.

"I fire polished it" he replied. Katara quickly looked up at him.

"Did _you_ do the symbol too?"

"Yes." Zuko held up his hands to reveal small cuts and burns all over his fingers. 'Ouch!' Katara gasped again at the sight of his burnt hands.

"What did you do?!"

"I… uh… was falling asleep and my hand slipped and, well…" he let her take his hand with her free one and examine the damage. She gave him a long, angry stare, telling him that he should have brought the wound to her earlier. Zuko looked at her with a sheepish smile that said 'I'm sorry'. His eyes were captivating and she could hardly look away. He cleared his throat in an awkward manner. _Awkward…_ Katara gave the Fire Lord back his hand and turned her attention back to the silver comb.

"I'll have to wear this tonight; it'll complete my outfit like nothing else." She tried to slip the comb in front of her bun, but it didn't seem to set right on her head. It was pretty, but it weighed a ton. How was her hair supposed to support it? Suddenly, she felt hands on hers, taking the comb and repositioning it on her head.

"Here, let me do it." Zuko placed the comb securely in her hair, adjusting it slightly, so it could be seen from the front. It didn't scare her that _Fire Lord Zuko_ was fixing her hair, but what did scare her was what happened after. She was focused on the image in the mirror in front of her. Here, stood a beautiful woman garbed in light blue silk, whom she didn't know, and right behind her was a handsome, young man with a hand on both of her shoulders. They seemed to fit together, like pieces to a puzzle. How could she let this moment go? Katara turned around to the boy that was now behind her, facing him with a confused gaze, their faces mere inches away from each other, but Zuko made no attempt to move away, but gazed right back. A wave of emotions overwhelmed the waterbender- confusion, uncertainty, attachment. Soon, Zuko's face was moving, slowly, towards hers. _'What do I do?' _She could think of nothing else to do except to return the favor.

"Katara! It's time to-" Sokka shouted as he burst into the room, and into their _moment_. Through sheer instinct, Katara quickly moved away from Zuko, adopting a protective waterbending stance while Zuko actually got in front of her in his own stance. Altogether, it was a comical scene. Sokka on the other hand, threw his arms in front of his face. "Hey! Guys, I was just gonna tell you that it's time to get in there… What were you guys doing?" he asked abruptly. Katara and Zuko shifted out of their positions and looked as casual as they could. (Fail!)

"Sokka, you shouldn't sneak up on us like that!" Katara scolded. "We were just… um…" Katara was at an extreme loss for words at this point. What was she going to tell her brother, that she and Zuko were about to- '_BLAGH!'_

"Katara was showing me how to… dance" Zuko chimed in. Katara nodded her head in agreement, reassuring Sokka that nothing was happening. Sokka looked extremely suspicious, but soon shrugged his shoulders and headed out the door. "Sorry about that" Zuko added awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it" Katara waved her hand in dismissal. "We should go anyway." She walked over to the door, but before exiting, gestured for Zuko to exit first. He made his way to where she was and offered his arm to the girl.

"Shall we" Katara put her hand through the crook of his elbow with a smile, and the two made their way to the gala.


	4. Buzz!

**hey! thanx for the reviews- lord knows i need em. (i'll try to lose the teleporter)**

_(in my next chapter)_

* * *

Katara and Zuko strode down the hallways toward the new ballroom, where the party was being held. They were both feeling extremely anxious about the coming events.

"I hope you've brushed up on your diplomats, because I hear there's a lot of them. How are you going to remember all the names?" Katara asked Zuko, just outside the door.

"It's not remembering the names that worries me. It's the dancing part. I'm a horrible dancer" he replied. Come to think of it, Katara had _never_ seen the Fire Lord dance. She let a small giggle escape her mouth.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing" she replied, stifling her laughter to the best of her ability. Soon, they could each hear the announcement of the entrance of The Fire Lord, Zuko and his partner, Representative Katara of the Water Tribe. The curtains parted and the couple stepped into view. Everyone cheered excitedly; some gasped as the _Fire Lord _was partnering with a member of the _Water Tribe_. Katara felt Zuko shift forward, so she picked up the side of her dress and moved in tandem.

"I- _we_ have to officially greet all of the officials right now, then, after that, we get to dance" he explained discretely. Katara nodded her head, showing she understood. Once they reached a large crowd of men, Zuko worked his magic. "Hello General Tsing, how is your son? Admiral Shu, I was hoping I'd see you. Representative Lin, how are you?" Katara was shocked at how many of these people Zuko could remember. She had been on the council for two years and she still had to write names on her hand. Suddenly, she was caught off guard by her introduction.

"May I introduce Representative Katara of the Water-" Zuko was cut off by the man's interruption.

"Katara of the Water Tribe. It's good to see you again." Katara hadn't even noticed that she was standing right in front of Iroh. How could she forget?

"Iroh! It's so good to see you again" she chirped.

"Uncle got in just fifteen minutes ago from Ba Sing Se" added Zuko. Iroh chuckled a little.

"Yes, I wasn't going to miss my nephew's first official gala, or his first dance for that matter" he jested, jabbing Zuko in the ribs with his elbow. Zuko's face blushed brightly, making Katara giggle behind her hand. "I knew the two of you would be together anyway" he continued. "After seeing the two of you in the crystal catacombs, I was certain that you were perfect for-" Iroh stopped when he saw the frightened look he was getting from his nephew, and regained a serious expression, dismissing the notion. "Well, I hear the music's about to start. You two had better get onto the dance floor" and with that he shoved the couple roughly away from him. After they were out of earshot of the old man, Zuko turned to the waterbender and started.

"Sorry about that." Katara waved her hand and continued onto the dance floor. Suddenly, Zuko let out a prolonged yawn.

"You didn't get any sleep today did you?" she asked him, adopting an angry tone. The music started slowly and everyone moved to the sides to let the Fire Lord and hi lady friend have the first dance. The two stopped in the middle of the room and faced each other, letting their eyes lock on their partner. Zuko breathed in deeply and let out a long sigh, probably out of nerves.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry but…" he lifted his right hand and she took it. She could feel the rough burns on his hands from the comb. "… I was just so busy, and I had to finish your gift" he explained poorly. He put his hand on her waist, lightly and she put her hand on his shoulder, which happened to be much taller than hers, drawing attention to how short she was, compared to him. The main melody began and the two moved to the beat, trying to avoid each other's gaze, which seemed to be more complicated than the steps to the dance. Katara was the first to break the silence between them.

"We're all going to pack our bags in the morning, and head out on a ship to Ember Island, first thing" she said forcefully. Zuko nodded his head, half in approval and half out of pure exhaustion. Soon, everyone else joined in the dance, surrounding them.

Katara was flattered that he thought of her so highly, but what he did was stupid. She had never noticed before, but the light in the ballroom brought out the dark circles under his eyes, making him look like the walking dead. His eyes were half open, and his head drooped, showing that he wasn't going to last much longer. Suddenly, Zuko's legs collapsed and she only had a split second to react. Katara let him lean on her, put herself halfway underneath him. His head rested against her shoulder, and his hands went limp, dropping to his sides. Luckily, the only person to notice what was happening was Iroh. He approached them slowly, but casually, not drawing attention.

"We need to get him out of here. There's no telling what rumors will start" he explained. Katara turned to the unconscious boy on her shoulder.

"Zuko, Zuko" she whispered urgently. Luckily, he made a quiet groan and attempted to support more of his own weight, letting her move out of sight of the other people, out, into the hall. Iroh followed them close behind. "Uncle- Iroh, what should we do?" she asked urgently. Iroh moved under Zuko's other arm and held up his other half.

"He's not sick or hurt; we just need to get him to his room to sleep this off. Obviously, he hasn't had any sleep so his body is shutting down" Irod replied. Katara nodded in agreement and all three of them staggered to Zuko's bedroom. As soon as he was situated on the bed, Iroh spoke again. "I must get back to the gala and tell them that he's been called out on important political matters." With that, the old man left the room. Katara could only wait for Zuko to wake so she could give him a good chewing out.

She should have seen this coming. Zuko was just one of those people who put their job and everyone else before themselves. What an idiot! Katara let out an angry sigh. Zuko stirred from his position on the bed, uncomfortably. She was angry, but something even stronger anchored her beside him. What was it? Was it her undieing compassion for anyone and everyone who need her help, or the fact that this was still a _date_ and that she could leave her friend? Was it something else? Katara soon found herself touching her hand to his face, which was far warmer than her hand in comparison. Toph had once told her that she and Zuko complimented each other in every way; that they were exact opposites, escept for the fact that they both loved to argue. Soon, she found herself running her fingers through his hair again, savoring the soft sensation. He stirred at the touch and slowly, opened his amber eyes. Katara could think of nothing else to say.

"You are stupid. You know that?" she started. Zuko made a pathetic attempt at a laugh.

"So I hear. Ugh... What happened?" he asked.

"Well, you just passed out during the first dance."

"Great" he said sarcastically. "I'm ready for that vacation now." Katara giggled in spite of her frustration towards the Fire Lord.

"Maybe we should leave tonight, just to play along with your Uncle's story." Zuko looked at the girl, confused. "He's telling everyone that you were called away on business" she explained. Zuko put a scarred hand up to his forehead in frustration.

"Yeah, as long as I can sleep on the way there" he added, closing his eyes, but continued to speak. "I could schedule an airship tonight and we could be gone within two hours" he thought aloud. Katara put a hand to his cheek and he, again, leaned towards her touch.H

"No. You are going to sleep; I'll get the airship." She pulled her hand away and headed for the door. Before exiting, she turned to him again. "I'll come get you before we go. Everyone will have to stay here until tomorrow, just so we don't raise any suspicion." and with that, she left Zuko to himself. Slowly, he raised a hand to where Katara had touched his face, missing the cooling sensation that had been there. He quickly realized how tired he was and slipped into peaceful dreams of light blue silk, silver combs, and a beautiful girl.

* * *

Katara changed into her red traveling clothes, packed both her's and Zuko's bags, and returned to the ballroom to explain the plan to Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Iroh. The rest of the Gaang would arrive at Ember Island tomorrow night. She had the airship waiting on the loading dock, the only thing missing was Zuko. Katara walked to Zuko's room where he still lay on the bed, sound asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, but they had to go.

"Zuko? Zuko, wake up. It's time to go." She shook his shoulder lightly. He stirred and opened those captivating eyes.

"Ugh... Is it time to go?" he asked, a little disoriented. Katara helped him off the bed silently and waited outside the door while he changed clothes. She had to admit that she was excited to be going on a little field trip with him again. Zuko emerged from his room, wearing his old traveling clothes, hair messy again.

"Ready?" she asked him as he closed the door behind him.

"Let's get out of here." he replied, smiling.

* * *

The two made their way onto the airship where the crew was waiting to recieve them. The captain of the ship stepped forward.

"My Lord, your sleeping chamber has been prepared, as has yours Miss Katara. We should be arriving at Ember Island in about four hours."The captain dismissed the rest of the crew to their individual duties.

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your efficiency on such short notice" Zuko replied. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I think we're both pretty tired" he said, eyeing Katara. She nodded in agreement. The captain bowed and left them for the control room. Zuko and Katara made their way down to the hall to their rooms.

"Get some rest, please" Katara said before disappearing into her own room. Zuko walked into his room, and was reminded of his days on a Fire Nation ship, in search for the Avatar. He lay down on the bed and did his best to fall asleep, but the rocking airship didn't make it very easy. Eventually, however, he slipped into another dream, but this one was the one he had been dreading.

Meanwhile, Katara sat in her room. The crew had obviously done what little they could to make her room seem little more like the Water Tribe. Over on the other side of the room, was a table covered in a dark blue tabe cloth, on the wall was a large tapestry that had the Water Tribe Insignia on it. It was pretty pathetic, but she appreciated the attempt. Katara lay down on her bed and made a sad attempt to go to sleep. Soon enough, she was out, but it didn't last long. Something woke her; a noise maybe? She could hear frantic shouts from the room next to her. Zuko! Katara dashed out of the bed and into the hallway. She burst through the Fire Lord's door and found him thrashing wildly on his bed.

"Zuko! Zuko! Wake up! ZUKO!" She grabbed him, roughly, by the shoulders, shaking him violently. She _had_ to wake him somehow. Suddenly, he started shouting again.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" Out of no where, he grabbed her tightly, just above her forearms. He squeezed her arms until tears streamed down her face and she screamed in pain.

"Zuko please! LET GO!!" He was far too strong for her. Suddenly, she felt a searing pain travel through her entire body, entering through her arms and exiting through her back. Zuko shouted again, but Katara didn't hear it because her entire world had gone black.

"I _AM _POWERFUL ENOUGH!!!" He woke with a start to find himself sitting upright in his bed. His head and arms ached and he had the adrenaline rush of a lifetime. Clearing his vision, noticed something, someone, lying on the floor by his bed.

"NO!" It was Katara, the one he was trying to save.

* * *

Chapter 4


	5. Good Morning, Sunshine!

_well, here's chapter #5- i hope you like it_

_disclaimer- again, i do _**not **_own the wonderful show, avatar the last airbender- i just wrote this story_

_I actually had a pretty difficult time writing this chapter, so you'd better enjoy the heck out of it. haha, just jokes!_

* * *

What had he done?! The last thing he remembered was running towards her in his dream; he had saved her. What had happened? Zuko dropped to his knees beside the unconcious waterbender, in complete self-hatred. Putting both hands over his face, as if he were trying to hide himself from what he had done, he prayed to _someone_ that she would be alright. At that moment, it was all he wanted; forget sleep! Angry tears streaked his scarred face, falling to the girl in front of him. How could he forgive himself for this one? Suddenly, the captain of the airship burst into the room with two other crew members following close behind, probably incase of an attacker.

"My Lord! What happened?!" he shouted, rushing forward. Like a mother cabor-toothed moose-lion protecting her baby, Zuko didn't want anyone anywhere near him or Katara, so he did the first thing that came to his mind. Feeling the burning sensation within, he swung his arm in a fan-like motion, unleashing a wave of fire toward the captain and his crew members, forcing them to duck.

"GET OUT!" he shouted, shaking uncontrollably with rage. The men before him said nothing further, but exited as quickly as possible, closing the door behind them.

Zuko put two trembling hands on either side of Katara's face, trying miserably to wake her. "Katara please, wake up!" More tears fell from his eyes, now, making it difficult to see. "Please! Wake up, Katara!" unfortunately, she gave no sign of conciousness. Zuko put his ear to her chest, listening for an indication of life, a heartbeat. 'Boom... boom...boom...', there it was! She was still alive, but barely, for the beat was slow and uneven. Zuko put both hands underneath the girl's limp body; one under her back and the other under her knees. As he lifted her, her head rolled back, as though she were a wet noodle. Without even putting her down, he sat on the bed and leaned his back up against the cold, metal wall. She sat perpendicular to him, her head resting on his shoulder and her feet out to the side. Zuko held Katara close, feeling as though he would lose her if he loosened his grip even a little. This would have been the moment he'd dreamed of for the past year and a half, except for the fact that he'd almost killed her.

Nothing mattered at hat point, except for her safety, for her.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she could only make out certain objects around the room, like a large window on the left, a door on the right; obviously, she was in a bed, but where was Zuko? The last thing she remembered was trying to wake him from that horrible dream if his, then, she was sucked into a nightmare of her own, where she couldn't see or hear and the only thing she could feel was unimaginable pain in her back_._

Her mouth felt extremely dry, like she hadn't had a drink in days, her head was pounding, and all of her limbs ached badly, but it was nothing compared to her back. It felt like someone had shot a burning arrow into the center of it. Katara closed her eyes, inhaled, and exhaled slowly, mentally preparing for what she was about to do. Tightening her stomach muscles as best as she could, she attempted to raise her upper half off the bed. Her back was now burning even more than before, if that was possible. She stifled the scream that was threatening to rip through her teeth, but, eventually, she achieved a sitting position. Using both aching hands, Katara rubbed her eyes, trying to chear up her vision. It helped some, for she could now make out a large, white wash basin on the dresser, across the room. Extending both hands toward the water inside, she attepted to bend it towards her. Such a simple task proved impossible due to her weakened state; the water raised up a few inches in an orb, but splashed to the floor.

At that moment, the door opened slowly and someone walked into the room. Katara squinted her eyes, trying desperately to see who it was, but to no avail.

"Who's there?" she tried to say, but it only came out in a faint whisper. She tried again, but her vocal chords would not vibrate; she just felt empty air traveling across them. The figure moved swiftly and silently until it came to her side, by the the bed. Suddenly, she recognized the figure as Zuko.

"Katara, are you okay?" he asked her urgently, putting both hands on her shoulders, steadying her. Katara thought to herself, 'I hope he's good at reading lips."

"Yes." This time, the words came out, but only in a high-pitched squeak. Katara quickly moved her hand up to her mouth, shocked at what had just come out. She looked at Zuko in a 'What the heck happened to me?!' kind of way. Zuko hung his head as he let out a long sigh and began to unravel the story of the previous night.

"I think I can explain what happened." he began. "When I was dreaming, I was so focused on one thing, that what I wanted to happen in the dream, actually happened for real," He stared deeply into the enchanting eyes of the girl before him. "and you just happened to be caught in the cross-fire."

Katara leaned away from him, trying to wrap her mind around what he had just told her. His hands fell from her shoulders and onto the bed, next to her as he hung his head again, in shame.

"What are you saying?" she asked, her voice slowly returning. "What happened to me?" Zuko ran his hands through his hair and lifted his head so that his gaze met her's.

"I think I..." he paused as a huge tear ran down the scarred side if his face, "almost killed you... with... lightning." As soon as the dreadful words left his mouth, his head dropped to his hands in humiliation. The veins in his arms popped out as he balled his hands into fists. Katara still couldn't believe that she had been electrocuted, and by _Zuko_. He quickly pulled his hands from his face and jerked his head up, thrusting himself forward to where he was only a few inches away from her face. Tears still falling from his eyes, he continued to speak.

"Please believe me; I would never_ ever_ something like that on purpose." The sincerity in his voice was so overwhelming, it was almost frightening. Katara wracked her brain for a response to his words, but none would come to her, so she did the one thing that he was _not _expecting. Careful not to twist too much, she threw her arms around Zuko's neck, purposfully tipping her body towards him so he would have to catch her. She heard a slight gasp from him, probably surprised at her gesture. Without hesitation, he returned the favor by wrapping his arms around her, tangling his fingers in her loose, brown curls. They stayed that way until Katara winced in pain, as her back began to throb relentlessly. Zuko picked up immediately and assisted her as best he could, even though he still wanted to hold her close. He helped her lay back down on the pillows, then he pulled up a chair.

"So, I guess this isn't exactly the best vacation you've ever had, right?" she said, still trying to crack a joke despite her current predicament. Zuko only let out a sad "Yeah." Katara looked down at her feet and sighed.

"I just hope you'll come to forgive me in time." he said, hopelessly, and rose to his feet, getting ready to leave. Katara was astounded that he would even think that she might not forgive him. Reaching out, she grabbed him by the hand.

"Zuko, I was never mad in the first place." She giggled a little. "I was _unconcious_!" she jested. Zuko's eyes grew wide and he gasped.

"You shouldn't joke like that!" he started. "I could have _killed_ you." Zuko knelt down beside her, his eyes staring straight into hers. She felt bad for him for some odd reason. Katara sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her position on the bed.

"Okay, if you really want to help me, get me in some water." Zuko just smiled and nodded his head in compliance.

"Before I do that, though, I want to check that wound on your back, to see how bad it looks." Katara nodded and carefully, rolled over on her side, facing away from him. A shiver ran up her spine as two warm hands suddenly, lifted her night shirt up, revealing a large, angry wound in the center of her back. Katara winced as he put an unusually cold finger to the spot, sending a sharp pain through her spine.

"Ow!" she shrieked, rolling over, onto her stomach and burrying her head in what seemed like about seven pillows. Zuko shied away from her, but not at all surprised by the reaction.

"Sorry!" he said, grabbing her by the waist and rolling her back onto her back. She squeezed her eyes shut, ready for another wave of agony, then relaxed.

"It's alright." she replied. "What time is it?" she asked out of random thought. Zuko looked at her, then looked out the window, at the position of the sun.

"I think it's about noon." he answered back. She had been knocked out for _that long_? Katara quickly sat up and flung her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the daggers in her limbs and back. Zuko stood from his chair and held out is harms in front of her, ready to catch. Leaning forward, Katara put all of her weight on her legs and pushed herself upward. Nowhere in her memory could she ever remember a time when she was this stiff, even when she rode for days on a flying bison. She moaned in frustration at her aching legs.

"You know you're not going to be able to stand for long." he said, holding her forearms to steady her. Katara gave him a confident stare and tried to look two feet taller.

"I will after I get some water," she replied, stumbling a little. Zuko held tighter to her arms, keeping her upright. She looked back into those golden, fiery eyes, gaining her confidece. "But, if you feel the need to carry me all the way to the bath house, you feel free." She meant this in a completely joking way, but as usual, he didn't get it. Without a hint of hesitation, he put a hand on the back of her shoulders and one on the back of her legs, sweeping the girl off her feet.

After grasping what he had just done, she tilted her head and commenced the staring contest. "I wasn't being serious." she said, adopting an angry scowl. Zuko, however, was ready for a good showdown, because he just smirked.

"In your condition, I would be accepting the favor," he answered, starting towards the door. "besides, it's my pleasure." Katara didn't know what else to say. She huffed angrily and crossed her arms while he just kept smiling handsomely at her.


	6. little shortie

_little discaimer- i do not own ATLA!!!! (cause if i did, the series would have ended waaaaay differently ;)_

_just sayin'_

_it's very very short, yes, i know! but it should give you insight to Sokka and Suki, so read it anyway!_

* * *

Sokka finished packing his bags and started toating them to the airship that was going to take them to their vacation spot. After the big comotion last night, Sokka was ready to get away from all the stuffy diplomats and politics and relax in the sun. It was what everyone needed. Even Toph, who hadn't lifted a finger since they got there, was ready for the beach, and Suki wanted to work on her tan. 'Girls' he thought to himself. Soon, his thoughts drifted to his sister and the trouble she could be getting herself into, just by going to that dance with Zuko. He and Suki had both heard rumors floating around that a lot of people didn't like the idea of their Fire Lord dancing with a Water Tribe citizen, even if she was a representative. He had heard that people felt like she was currupting their young Fire Lord. Suki walked up from behind and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I think Katara's getting too friendly with Zuko." he answered with an ashamed air. He didn't want to admit it, but Katara wasn't a little girl anymore. Suki smiled at him, sweetly and spoke again.

"You've got to let her live, Sokka. If she likes Zuko, that's not your problem." Suki always had a way of putting the most complicated situations so plainly. "Besides," she continued, "I think they're good together." Sokka's jaw dropped to the ground in shock.

"What?!" he shouted. "They're _good_?!" Suki just put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "They're completely opposite! They're not even from the same nation!" he shouted even louder. Suki acted like she hadn't heard him and started to walk toward the airship without saying a word. As she passed him, she stopped and whispered in his ear, seductively, "Neither are we." Sokka's face turned bright red as he was now embarrassed out of his mind. There was only one word to describe an awkward situation like this.

"Oops."

At that moment, Toph came running out shouting. "Let's go, people! We've got a vacation to get on with!!!!" Sokka rolled his eyes and boarded the airship after Toph.

* * *

_Now, that didn't take very long at all, did it? Now, back to our lovely couple..._


	7. A Day at the Beach

_well, here it is! chapter numero seven..._

_IDOATLA (i don't own Avatar the Last Airbender)_

_GAH! writers block!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!_

_special thanks to my bff Katelyn for some awsome ideas! Thanks Girl!_

* * *

Katara was determined to remain steadfast in her silence, all the way to the bath house. Zuko had tried to get her to talk, but the most he got was a small "hmf". Finally, it occurred to him, how to get her to talk. Sure she might be mad, but it was going to be worth the look on her face. As soon as he stepped outside the house, he took a sharp turn in the opposite direction of the bath house and headed towards the beach. She twitched and struggled in his arms, but to no avail, so she was forced to speak.

"Where are we going?!" she scolded. Zuko just sauntered on, not paying any attention to her cries of frustration. "Zuko, where are you taking me?!" she shouted again.

"To dump you in the ocean." he answered simply. Katara scoffed at him, curtailing her attempt at freedom and crossed her arms again. The two continued on to the beach. Katara could feel the wound on her back begin rip, causing her extreme pain, but she bit her lip and pressed on with the resentment.

"Anywhere there's water." she replied snidely. Zuko stopped abruptly, digging his feet into the sand, forcing Katara to cling to his shirt with both hands. She looked up. "What was that for?!" Zuko suddenly plopped her down in the sand, jarring her whole body and making her ache even more. She could feel the warm stream of blood ooze from her back.

"I kind of liked it better when you were unconcious," he joked. Katara, however, found nothing funny in the slightest. She would have gotten up and slapped the fire out of him, but she was barely able to sit up, so she did the one thing that would make him feel like a complete JERK.

"OOOOOOOOW!!!! My back! It hurts! I think it's bleeding again!!!" She threw a graceful hand up to her forehead, closed her eyes, held her breathe, and gave the performance of a lifetime. Opening her eyes slightly, so he couldn't tell, she watched him kneel quickly and almost start crying.

"KATARA!! KATARA!!! I'M SORRY! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!" Katara had do do her best not to laugh at him in his state. His eyes grew glassy and he grabbed her and held her close to him. Now, this was just weird. He put her head on his shoulder and whispered through her hair, into her ear. "Please, wake up... please wake up. It's all my fault... It's all my fault. I can't live without you." Great, how could she bring herself to play the trick on him now. He would either die from embarrassment, or he would kill her for it. Deciding against the joke, Katara stayed broken in his arms, letting him say what he wanted.

Slowly, playing it safe, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to see the his face. She realized that there had been few instances where _anyone _had seen this vulnerable side of him. She remembered the time she was trapped in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se, and the time she finally forgave him. Luckily, her heart was racing which made her shake uncontrollably, making it seem more realistic. Still clinging to him, she looked toward the ocean.

"Zuko... take me to the water... please." Moving quickly, he scooped her up and sprinted for the water. It must have been quite an adrenaline rush because there was no way any person could run that fast while holding another person bridal style. In a matter of seconds, he was knee-high in salty water and placing her on her feet, but just barely. Still feining the whole 'pass out' thing, she put both hands on his shoulders as he put his hands on both sides of her rib cage. She breathed slowly, feeling water flowing around her legs and connecting with the flow. The water surrounding her began to glow and snake up towards the the wound on her back. She could feel the healing power overtake her and the water fill the gash. After about twenty seconds, the water rushed down and she opened her eyes.

Zuko still stood there, holding her until she stepped back, showing him that she was alright. Her back wasn't completely healed, but the aches and pains in the rest of her body had vanished. She now felt like she could take on the world, only because she coould stand on her own. Soon, she realized that she was standing there in her night shirt and a pair of shorts. Zuko, however didn't seem to notice, for he was just glad to see her standing on her own. Katara looked down at her ragged appearance, then looked back up at Zuko, hinting toward her pajamas. Luckily, this was one of the rare occasions that he actually took a hint.

"We should get back. You probably want to change into something more suitable than... pajamas." he finally said. Katara smiled, nodded and headed out of the water and onto the sand. Zuko followed close behind, just in case something were to happen. "You sure did give me a good scare when you passed out." he said, after a while.

"Oh?" she replied innocently, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to hurt you... again." Katara was suddenly filled with sympathy for Zuko, but she kept walking.

"It wasn't your fault. Neither was the whole deal on the airship. You can't blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, Zuko," she hadn't planned to got this far, but she had scared him so badly. Katara turned to see his facial expression from behind, and saw that it was emotionless and stone-cold. She turned back around and continued her speech. "The whole thing was an accident that no one could have stopped. Sometimes, bad things just happen." Here she was again, rambling on about morals and such. She hadn't realized that they were now on the front steps of the beach house and that Zuko had caught up with her. His eyes were filled with hurt now, probably because this talk reminded him of his mother, and how his uncle helped him cope with the loss. He sighed as he pushed the door open and shuffled into the living room.

"You sound like my uncle, talking about hard times and stuff. He was the only one that ever really loved me enough to help me cope, instead of yelling at me and telling me to get over it," A wave of sorrow fell over Katara as the words poured out of his mouth. "It always seems like, whenever I lose, or almost lose someone I care about, someone else is always there to help me cope." Zuko started up the stairs and down the hallway with all the bedrooms. "Ozai and Azula quit acting like my family as I got older, but my mother and my uncle always stayed the same. They made contact with me; loved me for me. When you were lying there on the bed, that night, I had no one to make that contact with. I felt so... alone." Katara was so absorbed in the story, she almost passed her own bedroom door. She stopped but didn't open the door. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into one of her famous hugs. Immediately, his arms were around her waist and the two were pressed together.

"Hey, what do you say to a picnic on the beach?" she asked, pulling away and trying to lift his spirits. He chuckled a little, make her heart skip a beat with his smile.

"Sounds good to me." he answered, finally walking away and disappearing into his own room. After he was out of sight, Katara leaned up against the wall for support. Her heart was racing and she felt like their beach house just turned into a sauna. Putting a hand over her heart, she reacalled those amber eyes staring her down, trapping her in a gaze of desire.

* * *

Katara combed through her closet, searching for something to wear, prefferably, something pretty. Unfortunately, her closet was stocked with nothing but reds, golds, and blacks; far from the blues and whites she was used to. She looked until she found a red swimsuit with a matching wrap-around skirt. She threw it on and stood in front of the mirror, marveling at herself. "Oh, yes." she muttered to herself, feeling satisfied with the ensemble.

Soon, the food was packed and Zuko and Katara were dressed for the beach. Zuko insisted on just going to the private beach, where no one could bother them.

"Please, Zuko! Let's go tot the public one. I want to feel like a regular teen and I've never gotten that chance." Zuko was determined not to go, but when she stuck out her bottom lip in a sad puppy-dog pout, his mind was suddenly changed for him. As the two closed the door and headed out, Zuko turned to Katara with a serious look.

"I think I'll just lay low. They may not know who I am, and I want to keep it that way." he told her sternly. Katara nodded, agreeing with him, then she resumed their "cheerful" trip to the beach. Zuko insisted on carrying the picnic basket, but he let Katara carry the towels. They trekked across the sand, in silence, until they came to the public beach, where teens were ubundant and a fierce game of beach-ball was taking place. To Zuko, the sight of the ball flying over the net brought back memories of his own trip with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. In reaction to his unpleasant recolection, he sighed as he placed the basket in the sand. Katara turned to see him sinking onto his knees, opening the container.

"Wait," she said, holding up a hand to him. "What are they playing?" Katara pointed her finger to the two guys playing with the ball and the net. Zuko looked back down at the ground, obviously unhappy.

"It's just a dumb game. You wouldn't be interested in it." he replied nonchalantly. Katara kept staring at the game, completely interested.

"I don't know. It looks pretty fun to me." she countered, starting towards the boys. Zuko knew that this would end badly if he let her go. He shot up from where he was seated and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"No. You don't even know how to play." he continued. "Besides, I don't know if you _should_ be moving around like that, considering your back and all." Katara rolled her eyes at him, frustrated.

"Zuko, you're starting to sound like Sokka. I'm not six." she said, starting to sound agitated. She turned her back and began to walk away. Zuko called after her.

"Fine! Go ahead and see if I care!" he shouted, fed up with the stubborn girl. Is this what _he_ used to be like?

"Is there room for one more?" she asked.

"I think this game's a little to wild for a _girl_ like you." one of them replied. This one was the tallest out of the two. Zuko could see Katara put her hands on her hips, asserting herself.

"I'm sure I could play just as well as you." she countered, angrily. The boys started laughing at her childish behavior. Zuko wasn't going to let her embarrass herself like this, so he started walking toward the argument.

"Besides," the boy continued, "you don't even have a team mate." Zuko suddenly put his hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him with surprise.

"I'll be her partner." he chimed in, smiling at her from the corner of his mouth. Both the boys scoffed and started walking toward their side of the net, obviously not recognizing their Fire Lord. Katara grabbed Zuko by the arm and pulled him close, so she could whisper in his ear.

"Thanks." He couldn't help but smile at her as his heart began to race.

"Okay, pretty boy. First one to five wins. Your serve!" The ball was shot directly at Zuko from his left side. He was so concentrated on his partner that the ball hit him in the face, rattling his head and making it throb for a moment.

"Ow! Hey! Watch it! I don't see well out of that eye!" he shouted, his temper flaring. Katara put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.

"It's okay. They didn't know." she explained calmly to him. Guiding him over to their side of the net, Zuko picked up the ball and readied to serve it up. Katara took her place just in front of the net. He dug his heels into the sand, tossed the ball into the air with his left hand, and gave it a good 'Smack!' and the ball went sailing over the net. The boy on the opposite side quickly sent it flying back over at Katara. Being in front, she had to be quick to react, but obviously, she aslready knew this. Jumping up, she hit the ball back over the net and and straight past the two boys, imbedding it in the sand.

"I believe that's one for us, gentlemen." she stated smartly. Their opponents glared at the two as they regained their pride.

"Whatever. It was just one point. We practically let you have it, anyway." the taller one said coolly. Without another word, the ball was passed back to Zuko, who served up high, this time. The boys scampered around their side of the net, trying to see past the sun, but the ball landed far out of their reach. Katara quickly turned to Zuko and smiled.

The ball kept traveling over the net, and each time, Zuko or Katara would out-smart the other two boys, even without their bending. Finally, the ball hit the ground again.

"That's five; we win." Zuko chided, coming up behind his team mate. Katara jumped into the air triumphantly.

"Yeah! Go Team Ava- oh, wait." She turned to Zuko and whispered quietly. "_We're_ not Team Avatar; we're team... hmm... Zu... ta...ra" She nodded her head in approval at her new, cheesy name. "Team Zuatara!" Zuko winced at the corny name for his team. It sounded like something Sokka would make up. However, he wasn't going to let it get him down, now, because he was just glad that they had won. Turning to the other boys, he began laughing.

"Well, not only did you lose, but you lost to a _girl_." Their faces turned red with anger. Apparently, girls weren't very high up on their 'Who-I-want-to-lose-to' list. Katara stepped up to coninue bragging.

"And not only that, but you lost to a waterbender." Her snide comment had finally set the boys off. The taller one finally picked up the ball from the sand and launched it at Zuko from his left side. Not being seen, the ball nailed him square on the scarred side of his face, this time, knocking him off his feet. Zuko landed with a hard 'thud' on the sand. Katara was infuriated.

"Hey! You should apologize for that! He told you that he doesn't see well!" she scolded, helping Zuko onto his feet. The other boys jus laughed at her.

"Or what? Are you going to splash me with your stupid waterbending?" He wiggled his fingers at Katara, who took the insult very personally. Katara balled her hands into tight fists, trying not to lose her cool. "Uh oh, look out Chan! You might get wet!" he yelled, going into another laughing fit. Katara felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.

"Come on, Katara. We don't want any trouble." he whispered. Katara shook her head and started yelling.

"No! I want an apology from these two!" she yelled, pointing an acusing finger at the guys, who were still laughing hysterically. One of them wiped his eyes of tears and spoke again.

"Oh, why don't you two just go crying to your _mommies_!" No longer was Katara in control of her temper. Freeing her shoulder from Zuko's hand, she headed for the boys in a dead sprint. She brought her hand back and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"SHUT UP!!!" She brought her fist up against the taller one's face and sent him flying back about six feet. The other one went to grab her, but she was too quick for him. Grabbing him by his arm, she flipped him over, onto his back, and gave him a hard kick in the thigh. Zuko stared in horror as this kind-hearted girl completely beat the sense out of two grown teenage boys who were about twice her size. They didn't even have time to react before she was on them like a wild animal. She had made certain that each boy had a bloody nose or at least one less tooth in his mouth. Over all, it was a terrifying sight that he was glad not to be part of.

Soon, Zuko was forced to react when Katara started yelling at the innocent by-standers. "What are _you_ looking at?! Did you want to say something about my mother too?!" Zuko quickly ran up behind the girl and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Katara! That's enough!" he shouted in his booming 'Fire Lord' voice. She whipped around to glare at him, but shrunk away from the angry glare he gave her. Everyone soon returned to their activities, as they were disappointed that the fight was over. "Let's go." he said solomnly, starting back toward the private beach. With her in towe, Zuko went over the speech she was going to get, in hs mind. _'Neither you or I are children anymore, and it's time you grew up and got over your mom. You can't go running around beating people up becasue they wont apologize. Face it; you overreact waaaay too much.' _They walked and walked until Zuko could see the beach house, then he stopped abruptly and let Katara slam into him.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked. Zuko was alarmed at the shaky nature of her voice, but when he turned and looked at her face, he realized why. She had angry tears running down both sides of her face and her shoulders were moving up and down from her sobs. Suddenly, Zuko forgot the prepared speech and changed from gripping her wrist to holding her hand.

"I'm sorry. I should have stopped you from that game in the first place." he stated plainly. She closed her eyes and dropped her head, letting more tears fall into the sand below. Right now, Zuko didn't want to scold her or ask questions; right now, he only wanted her to be comforted. Letting go of her limp hand, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. For a while, she just stood there, resting her forehead on his chest. Zuko could feel the warm tears seeping through the cloth of his shirt, but he didn't care. Katara slowly put her arms around his waist and turned her head so he could see her tear-streaked face. Zuko ran a hand underneath her hair and proceeded to rub her back, gently until the cries and whimpers began to subside.

"You know, I've never seen such a great display of hand-to-hand combat like that in years." he mused, still holding her close.

"I couldn't let them get away with treating you like that." she replied, pressing her head more firmly against his chest. He couldn't help but notice how prefectly she fit in his arms so he held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. Soon, though, Katara lifted her head, sniffed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I need to sit down. Zuko led her to a large rock where the two of them could sit and watch the ocean. After a few minutes of extremely awkaward silence, Zuko spoke up.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you something." he started. Katara turned her head to listen. "Why didn't you use your bending back there?" he asked. Katara thought about her answer and chose her words carefully.

"Well, when they made fun of me for being a girl _and_ a waterbender, I felt... weak." Katara brought her knees up under her chin, making her seem smaller to Zuko. "I wanted to show them that I wasn't going to hide behind a wall of water." She looked to Zuko for some kind of reaction, but he just nodded head and looked back out to the ocean.

"Makes sense to me." he murmered, leaning back on his arms and crossing his legs out in front of him. A random thought soon, popped into Katara's head as she looked out onto the water.

"I have a question for you." she said, mimicking Zuko's position next to her. "You and Mai- What happened there?" she asked. Zuko looked at her with a puzzled expression, making her wish she had never broached the subject. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me." she added quickly. A broad smile took over his features, and he looked back out with a chuckle.

"No. It's okay. I've just never told anyone." Katara crossed her legs and turned her whole body towards him. "Mai and I were _fond_ of each other. Though, it wasn't until a few months after the war that we both realized that it just... wasn't going to work. Mai wasn't really someone I could open up to." Katara was silent for a while, then she realized that he was done.

"Oh. So, do you guys still keep in touch?" she asked, pulling the question out of the blue. Katara wondered if Zuko found it strange that she wanted to know so much about Mai, but he didn't seem to care.

"Not as much as we used to. I think she went back to live on her family's estate and that her father's set her up with some nobleman." he replied, not even acting as though it bothered him in the slightest. "My turn again." he chided, turning his body toward hers, and crossing his legs. "Why did you and Aang decide to split up? You seemed happy together." Katara was caught off guard by his question and how it made her head spin.

"Aang is a great guy, and I know he'd do anything for me. I guess it's kind of like you and Mai. We loved each other to begin with, but in time, it grew into _fondness_." Katara watched closely for a reaction from Zuko. Again, he just nodded his head, playing with a pebble on the rock where they were seated. "Plus, I knew Aang would always be away, and that would put a huge strain on our relationship." This time, Zuko looked her square in the face and smiled a devilishly handsome smile that made her heart hasten.

"I guess that brings the questions back to you." he said, finally. Katara wracked her brain for a good question that needed answering. Soon one popped into her mind.

"Now, this one is totally optional; you don't have to answer it if you don't want to." Zuko nodded his head in agreement and leaned forward. "That night on the airship- what was the nightmare, you were having, about?" Zuko was clearly surprised at the question, for it took him a long while to answer. He looked out towards the setting sun, like it was going to give him his answer, but nothing came. Katara was sorry she'd even asked in the first place. "You don't have to tell me." she said, sliding off the rock, onto the sand. Zuko quickly jumped down after her.

"No, it's okay. I was just thinking." Katara turned back toward him and listened intently. "You. You were in my dream. I heard you screaming, like you were in horrible pain, or you were scared or something." Katara was struck silent by his willingness to tell her this. He continued. "In the dream, I found you and I... held you, like this," Suddenly, he was taking her by her arms and holding her firmly against him. Katara felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest, and she worried that Zuko might hear the hammering. "When I was holding you, I felt more at peace than I'd ever been in my entire life. That's what gives a firebender the ability to bend lightening. I've never been able able to do it until now... because you give me peace." He gazed into her eyes with all the passion and fire in the universe, causing her whole body to go numb. Keeping her in his strong grasp, he leaned in slowly, their faces about three inches apart, now. Katara's world had suddenly stopped spinning around her, and recentered around the man holding her. Zuko parted his lips to speak again. "Katara, I-"

"Hey guys! Did you m- What are you doing?"

Being caught almost kissing someone is bad. Being caught by your older brother, Sokka is disasterous.

* * *

_MUAHAHAHAHA!!! so close._


	8. Mind Your Own Business!

_yo yo yo!!!!! hey everybody! _

_here's chapter eight!_

_I'll try not to leave you hanging this time, cause I don't like it when other people do it either._

_Thanks for all the feedback (again)- i feel special!_

* * *

Sokka stood there, flabbergasted and speechless at what he had just walked into. Katara and Zuko quickly snapped back, away from each other, acting like nothing was going on. Sokka regained his composure and pointed a finger at the two of them.

"What was _that_?" A long moment of uncomfortable silence wedged it's way between words. "Were you guys just-" Katara cut him off before the word escaped.

"Of course not, Sokka! We were just... uh" Katara was at a loss for words; what could they have been doing other than... _kissing_? Zuko piped up when he realized that she couldn't think of an alabi.

"We were just talking." he said, quickly. Obviously, Sokka, being the skeptic that he was, didn't believe a word of it.

"Uh huh. About what?" he asked sharply, making Katara's face turn red. Apparently, Zuko had already thought ahead about that too.

"About dinner. We wanted to take you guys out to some place nice." he replied, smoothly. Sokka crossed his arms and huffed.

"Fine. Zuko," he said motioning towards the other boy, "why don't you go say hello to Suki and Toph. I've got some catching up to do with_ my sister_." The last to words were enunciated dramatically. Zuko nodded and headed towards Sokka, who was standing between him and the beach house. Sokka gave him a furious glare as he passed, and started walking towards Katara. Zuko turned his head and caught her eye with a look that said 'We'll talk later'. Katara nodded her head at him and turned toward her, now, fuming older brother. Sokka started with a frightening question.

"Katara, I know Zuko wasn't telling the truth. What were you two _really _doing?" Katara suddenly felt defensive about the whole thing.

"I don't have to tell you." she replied, angrily. Katara stuck her nose in the air and pushed past him, heading straight for the beach house. Sokka, however, wasn't done talking.

"You were going to kiss him, weren't you?" She stomped her foot on the sand and turned to him quickly, angry as ever.

"So what if I was?! Is that a crime?! Am I not allowed to like someone?!" she shouted, advancing on him with the anger she had that afternoon. Sokka stepped back, knowing that she could have hurt him if she really wanted to. Katara backed down a little and controlled her anger. "Look, Sokka. Nothing is going to happen to me, if that's what you're afraid of." Sokka looked down at the ground as he rubbed the back of his head, thinking.

"I know that I'm probably just overreacting, but I'm only looking out for you." Katara was unsure of what to think at this point. Sokka continued. "That night at the dance, I heard some people saying that they didn't like the Fire Lord's new Lady." Katara turned in surprise to her brother's information, then, she thought of herself as the Fire Lord's _Lady_. Her mind was made up.

"Sokka, I understand that you're watching out for me, but I'm sixteen and I can handle myself." Without a word, Katara kissed her brother on the cheek and headed back to the beach house, leaving Sokka behind. With a long sigh, Sokka uttered to himself.

"I sure hope so."

* * *

Katara stood in front of her mirror, looking at the blue dress she had selected for that evening. Before putting on the dress, she wrapped the wound on her back in white cloth, just in case it broke and started bleeding. She thought about wearing the silver comb Zuko had given her, but it would probably set Sokka off. Katara turned as a soft knock came from the door. Opening it quickly, she was surprised to see Toph standing there.

"We're heading out the door, Sugar Queen." Even after two and and a half years of global expeditions and peace-keeping, Toph had never bothered to use Katara's real name. Toph crossed her arms and headed down the hall, not even waiting for her. Katara quickly combed out her hair with a few stokes of her fingers, and followed Toph down the hallway.

Everyone was outside and chattering about where to go for dinner. Toph wanted spicey food, Sokka didn't like spicey food, and Suki was in the middle if the quarrel, trying to keep the two from killing each other. Everyone was garbed handsomely in their favorite colors, giving Katara a flashback of the year they had spent preparing Aang for the big battle with Ozai. Aang. She missed him so much, now that he was off, traveling the world. As soon as that thought popped into her head, another one formed. What will Aang think of my feelings for his friend? Would he be like Sokka, or just happy for her? As Katara pondered the thought, someone suddenly whispered in her ear, causing her to jump.

"What did Sokka want?" Katara turned to see Zuko standing there, eyes filled with concern, concern for _her_.

"I'll have to tell you later. He's watching me like a hawk right now." she replied quietly. Zuko looked toward Sokka, who was glaring at him, then looked back at Katara and nodded.

* * *

Later, everyone was seated in the finest restaurant on the island, surrounded by servers and huge plates of food. Toph and Suki were both talking about who would win in a fight; a ninja or a pirate, and Sokka was busy stuffing his face with all the food at the table. Katara secretly hoped he would make himself sick, but her thoughts were interupted when Zuko, who was seated just across from her, cleared his throat, and tilted his head toward the curtain that led outside. Katara took the hint and excused herself from the meal. Sokka eyed her curiously, but stayed with his precious orderves. Zuko silently counted to twenty and excused himself too, claiming that he needed to go thank the chef, and slipped outside as well.

When the curtain fell closed behind him, Zuko let out a small sigh of relief. He spotted Katara walking down the stone pathway, toward the beach. Gathering his courage, Zuko followed swiftly after her, but not before hearing Suki inside.

"Sokka, don't go out there! Uh, stay here and try this yummy dessert." Zuko made a mental note to thank Suki for what she had done for him, as the curtain never opened. Zuko refocused on the dangerous mission before him; talking to Katara. As he approached her, he suddenly remembered how attractive she looked under the moonlight, and how his heart would race when she looked at him with her electric blue eyes. A shiver went up his spine as he came closer and closer, behind the girl. Soon, Zuko found his words.

"So, what did your brother want?" he began. Katara sighed heavily and crossed her arms as she stared out at the water.

"He thinks I'm getting too close to you, and that we shouldn't..." She trailed off as her eyes closed and her head dropped. Zuko was becoming desperate for what she was about to say.

"We shouldn't what?" he asked, coming closer to her side. Katara crossed her arms, still trying to be strong, but Zuko could see through the facade.

"He saw us." Without asking, Zuko already knew what she was talking about, so he just faced the water too.

"Oh." At this point, he was sure that the mask was going to break any second, so he readied himself for confrontation. To his surprise, she stayed strong in her resolve, and kept talking.

"Yeah. He said that there were some people at the party who didn't think that we should have gone together." She paused, turned, and looked at him with a look of concern and curiosity. "Zuko, there's something I need to know." he turned to face her, stepping closer in the process. "Why did you ask me to the dance? I want an honest answer." Zuko knew that he would have to answer to her eventually; he just didn't know it would be this soon. He liked her- no- he _loved_ her. It was the only conclusion that made sense. It was why he stayed with the gaang, even when she threatened to kill him; it was why he strived for her approval during Aang's training; it was why he wanted to help her track down her mother's killer; and it was why he was willing to give his life for her, during the fight with Azula. He realized that Katara was still waiting for his answer, but, what was his answer? If he told her the truth, then she may not feel the same way, and their friendly relationship would be torn apart. He would just have to play this one by ear.

"Katara, the truth is..." he trailed off, the words disappearing from his mouth. What words were there that he could say, that would describe his feelings for her; what could he say to this girl?

Finally, letting his heart dictate his actions, and forgetting about what others thought, he leaned in and pressed his lips, firmly, to hers, and kissed her. The kiss was soft and innocent, but it had a spark that he had never felt when he kissed Mai. This made him want to kiss her even more fiercly, but he held back, letting her react.

At first, Katara didn't know what to think. Her brain said 'pull away', but her heart, which was currently speaking much louder than her brain, screamed 'Kiss him back!' Giving in to her heart's desire, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Obviously, he was happy with this because he, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled _her_ closer.

At the same time, they each pulled away, breathing heavily, but still holding one another tightly. Zuko could see that Katara's cheeks burned a bright red, and Katara could see that he too, was blushing just as brightly. Nothing was or had to be said. The two just stood there, face to face, complete opposites; water and fire, yin and yang.

* * *

Escaping from the evil pull of the dessert tray, Sokka slipped away to peek on his sister, and what he saw left him speechless and motionless. Here was his baby sister and the guy that had tried to kill them three years before, _KISSING_! Sokka stood there with his jaw on the floor, wide-eyed, and in complete and utter shock. How could she do this?! Suddenly, he grew angry at Katara for not listening to him, and started to yell at the couple. He inhaled deeply and was about to let his anger loose, but someone's hand clamped over his mouth and brought his hands behind his back.

"Oh no you don't." Suki stood in front of him, her hand over his mouth.

"Yeah, Sokka. Give them a break." Toph said, holding him back from the outside. Sokka was still bound and determined to interupt, however. From behind Suki's hand, he let loose.

"HEY! YOU GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!! KATARA! GET OVER HERE_ NOW!!! _LET GO OF ME!!!!" Suki and Toph did the exact opposite and pulled him back from the door, letting the curtain, once again, separate them from the Gaang's newest couple.


	9. WEEEE!

_chaptero numero nueve!_

_well, here it is..._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one... or at least find it horribly amazing... MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!_

* * *

Katara quickly broke away from his tight grip and regained her composure, trying to act as mature about the situation as she could. "What was that?!" Zuko suddenly looked hurt by her sudden outburst. He looked away from her face and put his hands behind his back in embarrassment.

"It felt like a kiss to me." he said softly. "I thought you were happy with it." Katara was becoming extremely confused.

"I _was _happy- well, not with- I don't know!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. She turned away from Zuko, not wanting him to see the threatening tears in her eyes while Zuko crossed his arms behind her and looked toward the sea.

"I liked it." Katara had to strain her ears to hear his soft comment, but even when she did hear it, she refused to respond. "Too soon?" he asked, looking back toward her.

"Maybe a little." she replied, giving into him. "Look, Zuko; I like you too, but this is just... I don't know. It's just happening really fast." Hearing this, Zuko felt a small sense of relief creep through him, causing a small smile to ease into his features. She turned to him with tears in her eyes and took his hand in hers. "Please don't be mad at me. I really do like you but-" he cut her off.

"Katara, I don't care if you like me back or not. I just want you yo know how I feel. If you don't like me the way I like you, that doesn't mean we can't friends." Secretly, Zuko was disappointed that his feelings weren't returned like he wanted them to be, but his desire for Katara's happiness overruled all other thoughts. Katara adopted a more casual look, then gestured toward the long stretch of sand that lay before them.

"Maybe we could take a walk." she said, removing her sandals and wiggling her toes in the sand. Zuko nodded and strolled to her side, keeping a safe distance as to not give the wrong ideas.

The two walked in silence for a while, under the full moon. Katara suddenly felt sorry for Zuko and had a great urge to make it up to him. "Hey, let me take you surfing!" she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the foamy water. Zuko slipped out of her grasp.

"Do we have to?" he asked in a whiny tone. Zuko was in great shape, but he specialized mostly in combat, not surfing. Katara giggled as she formed a long board out of ice and began stripping down to the swimsuit she always wore under her clothes. He could feel his face blushing as he noticed how good she looked. Then, he spotted the white cloth tied around her torso, obviously protecting the wound from breaking open. No. He wasn't going to focus on the negative tonight. This was all about her.

"I thought we came here for fun." she shot back, jolting Zuko out of his romantic fantasy.

"Alright. But you're going to have to help me, because I don't know the first thing about surfing on ice." he replied, removing his shirt and boots. When Katara turned around to give him a reply, she was silenced and her heart skipped a beat. She had never payed attention to how_ fit_ Zuko really was. She had watched him and Aang train together, but she was too busy hating him to notice. Zuko stared at her in question, wondering why she had gotten so quiet. "Katara? Are you okay?" She shook her head vigorously, trying to erase the thoughts from her head.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Anyway, let me show you how this works," She motioned for him to come closer as she positioned the icy board in the water with her foot. "The one thing you'll have to remember is to follow my lead. If I lean to the right, you lean to the right. If I lean back, then you lean back. Got it?" Zuko just nodded his head at the simple instructions. He felt like a six-year-old. "Good. Now, put your right foot here," she pointed to a spot on the board, "and your left foot there." she motioned to another spot. Zuko placed his feet where she told him, then suddenly, his feet froze to the ice, rendering him immovable. "It's okay. I just don't want you falling off." she explained, noticing his slightly scared expression.

Katara stepped onto the board just in front of him, reached back, took his arms, and wrapped them around her waist. Even though she had told him otherwise, Zuko couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was enjoying this just as much as he was. Thrusting her arms out to the side, she turned to look at him from the corner of her eye. "Ready?" Zuko swallowed loudly, then nodded his head, to nervous to speak. "Okay then, hold on!" With a swift motion of her arms, Katara threw the two of them and the board out, onto the waves. The wind and water hit Zuko's face with a slap, forcing him to squint his eyes.

Katara leaned to the left, so Zuko leaned to the left, still gripping her tightly, as if he would fall off. She straightened back up, so he copied her movement. After several seconds of surfing, he loosened his grip and began to enjoy the ride a bit more. He noticed that Katara was moving her arms in an odd, circular motion that made the board go faster and faster.

Suddenly, a huge wave rose up before them, towering far over their heads, like a giant sea monster. Zuko suddenly found his voice. "Katara, don't even think about it!" She crouched low, and he was forced to do the same, making the board zoom forward.

"Too Late! HANG ON!!!" Katara stuck her arms out behind her, propelling them up the front of the wave and over the top. About two seconds of weightlessness consumed the craft. Zuko whooped out of pure enjoyment and Katara did the same. "Zuko twist to the left, NOW!" Doing what she said, Zuko twisted his body to the left as she did the same, causing the board to fall into a nose dive towards the water. Zuko was sure that he was going to his the water with a splat, but it never came. Reaching out in front of her, Katara formed a ramp of ice that caught the board and sent it shooting out, onto the water.

Katara whooped with joy, returning her arms to the circular motion she had before. Zuko was feeling more confident now, but refused to let go of her until they hit dry land. Suddenly, Katara turned away from the distanst shore, and towards another monsterous wave. This one was even bigger than the first, but nothing seemed to phase her as she sped towards it. Repeating the movements from before, Katara forced the board up the wave and into the air. At the same time, they both let out a loud shout as the weightlessness consumed them again. Zuko was ready to follow her and twist the board around but something strange happened; she didn't move.

He could feel the muscles in her stomach tighten and contract and her arms were still stretched behind her. He knew what was coming next, so he prepared for impact. Instantly breaking free of the ice around his ancles, Zuko grabbed her arm and jumped from the ice board (all was done during a freefall, btw.) For about two terrifying seconds, they fell, but Zuko was determined to keep a firm grip on the still, motionless girl.

Zuko hit the water in a hard dive, completely unharmed, but where was Katara? Swimming frantically, to the surface, he opened his eyes and searched for her under the water, but she was no where in sight. Breaking the surface, he gasped for air and began shouting her name.

"Katara! Katara!" There was no reply, except the movement of the waves. Soon, he spotted her, floating lifelessly about twenty feet from him. He swam over to where she was, and quickly, lifted her face out of the water, letting her get the air she needed, and he pulled her close. Katara tried to tread enough water to keep afloat, but the waves kept washing over her, emmersing her every time. Thinking fast, Zuko grabbed her ams and let her hang on to him for dear life. Her breathing was shallow and labored, and when he took a close look at the water in which she swam, he knew why. It was mixed with a large amount of blood. With all the strength he could muster, Zuko swam for the shore, dragging her along, hoping that it wasn't as bad as he thought.

As soon as his feet touched the sand, he switched her from his back, to his front, feeling the angry wound on her back. One thought attacked his mind, almost bringing a tear to his eye. 'She's hurt!' Zuko set her down, making sure that the sand didn't touch her back, and shook her slightly, the tears now running down his face. "Katara, wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open, weakly, filling him with relief and satisfaction. Her expression became pained and she began to cough violently, clearly choking on the water she swallowed. Zuko helped her turn over so she was facing the ground. As soon as the coughing subsided, she started breathing heavily and attempted to speak.

"Zuko... are you... okay?" she gasped, wincing in pain from the opened gash on her back. Zuko was astounded that she was so concerned about him, after all, she was the one knocked out from the impact.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." he replied, smiling through the tears that streaked his face. He returned her to a sitting position, but she was too weak to sit up on her own, so he leaned her head against his shoulder. "What happened to you? You just froze up." Katara straightened up and noticed that hers were filled with fear.

"I don't know what happened. The only time I've ever felt that was when I was-" Katara suddenly stopped speaking and stared diectly ahead, locking her eyes on something. Zuko turned to see what she was staring at and found it to be a feeble-looking old woman. The woman stood there, arms crossed, with a deadly smirk on her face.

"Hello, Katara. It's good to see you again." she said dangerously, making herself seem anything but feeble. Katara gasped in horror as Hama raised her hand toward her, ready to attack.


	10. Houston, we have a problem

_IDOATLA_

_First, let me thank everyone and their mom for reviewing my previous chapters- makes me happy_

_second, i want to thank katelyn (again) for her input- yaaaay!!!! (detatchable parts)_

_third, i understand that there has been a lot of mushy-gushiness up until now, but i'm going top try to give more action and less fluff, so yeah..._

* * *

Katara was ready for her limbs to leave her control but, surprisingly, the never did. Instead, she heard Zuko gasp as he was lifted to his feet and his arms were wrenched behind his back. Hama, however, was having much more fun than either one of them.

"Hama! Stop!" she yelled, trying to get onto her feet, but was forced back down by the burning pain in her back.

"Oh, Katara, I'm only protecting you from this mindless killer." she said smoothly, now forcing Zuko onto his knees. Katara was now, determined to fight the crazy, old woman, even in her unbearable state. Pushing through the pain, she stood and lifted her arms in Zuko's defense. Hama only smiled as she moved her hand and took contol of Katara's arm, thrusting her towards Zuko and slamming her body into his. She knew, now, that with every second, the wound was getting worse and would be harder to heal, but if it meant that she and the firebender would escape with their lives, then she would do _anything_. She landed hard, on top of him, knocking the wind out of the both of them, but Hama didn't care, for she spoke again, harshly.

"Katara, you don't look so well." Suddenly, an agonizing wave of pain shot through her, causing her back to arch and a blood-curdling scream to rip through her throat. She would have begged for mercy, but she couldn't focus on forming words, just the scream. The group was too far away from the rest of the Gaang to hear her scream, so they were completely alone. Zuko moved out from underneath her and shouted at Hama.

"What are you doing to her?! Please, STOP!" It was no good. The agony refused to subside, causing Katara's vision to blur and her senses to go numb. Soon she was swallowed by a frightening blackness that blocked all of her senses.

Meanwhile, Zuko tried to attack Hama with firebending, but his limbs were soon, wrenched from his contol and into another uncomfortable position. Zuko refused to give up the fight though, but Hama oviously had a plan B.

"Here _my Lord_, have a drink!" she shrieked, pouring a few drops of a bad-tasting liquid into his mouth, which she had also forced open with her mysterious abilities. He felt his body go limp as he dropped to the ground, also being swallowed by darkness.

* * *

Sokka was soon let go by the two girls as he was dragged back, into the resturaunt. As soon as the hand left his mouth, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" Suki held up her hands in defense of the waterbender and the firebender.

"Sokka, calm down!" Toph punched him hard on the shoulder.

"Yeah! It's not like it's the end of the world!" she interjected harshly. Sokka didn't want to listen to reason; all he wanted was his baby sister to get away from the Fire Lord. He shook free of their grasp ad dashed out of the curtain, towards the spot where he saw the dreaded kiss of doom and dispair, but they had vanished. The hunt was on.

"I'll bet they're at the beach house!" Sokka dashed down the beach, toward the summer home, hoping to find them. Suki and Toph followed close behind, but couldn't keep up with his longer legs. He searched all along the beach as he sprinted toward the house, but found no trace of his sister, or her _companion_. "Katara! KATARA!!!". His shouts did no good as he rapidly approched his destination. As he ran, Sokka noticed some strange looking tracks that led directly into the water, but soon disregarded them in his haste.

Sokka ran up the stairs, to the door and shoved it open, bursting into the living room. What he found wasn't what, or who, he was looking for, but was just as surprising.

"Hey, Sokka!" shouted Aang, wrapping him in a brotherly hug. Sokka was in a mix of emotions: anger, surprise, dispair. He tried to control his anger and speak calmly to the Avatar.

"Oh, hey Aang. What brings you out here?" he asked. Aang shrugged his shoulders and was about to reply when Suki and Toph burst into the room with the same expression as Sokka had. He became curious at the apparent urgency in the room.

"Hey, guys. What's wrong?"

* * *

When Zuko opened his eyes, the first sensation he felt was a wave of extreme dizziness. The second sensation was a sharp pain, coming from his wrists, which were clearly tied tightly in front of him. As his sight improved more and more by the minute, he could tell that he was in some sort of small, wooden bunker. He was laying flat on the floor, facing the ceiling. Building up his now, menial strength, he tried to break free of his bindings, but failed as they seemed even tighter than before. The room was freezing, but lucky for him, he had learned to heat himself long ago. Shooting jets of fire from his nostrils, Zuko felt the warmth envelope his body.

Taking in more of his surroundings, Zuko spotted a small candle on the floor; next to it was Katara, sitting up against the wall with her hands and feet tied with rope. Zuko tilted his head upward to get a better look at her, and noticed that she was awake and playing with her dress. She seemed to be okay, but he wanted to be sure.

"Katara?" he whispered. It had obviously scared her, because she jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, Zuko. I didn't know you were awake." she said shakily, smoothing out the wrinkles she had created in her dress.

"I just woke up. Where are we?" he asked, eyeing the empty, wooden room. Katara was about to answer, when the room started to tilt to the side, throwing her off balance and making her hit the floor with a loud thud. She winced as she landed on her back and the room stablized once again.

"Owww..." she said, surpressing the obvious pain, readiating from her back. Zuko suddenly became more concerned for her.

"Are you okay? How's your back?" Katara pushed herself up, off the floor and turned to face him, her long, brown hair as wild and unkept as ever.

"Fine, for now. I haven't gotten a chance to heal it, but I'm not going to die." she replied nonchelantly, waving a hand. Zuko sighed at her desire to be a martyr.

"... yet" he mumbled to himself. He knew that if she hadn't had an oppertunity to heal herself, then she was probably in agonizing pain; she just didn't want yo let him know it. Remembering his first question, Katara spoke again. "I think we're on a ship" she said. Zuko closed his eyes and groaned in frustration.

"Great. And I thought we left the capital to have _fun_." he replied, eyeing the ropes on his hands, figuring out how to get them off. Suddenly, he blew a stream of fire from his mouth, onto the bindings, causing them to burn as he ripped his hands from the bindings. Zuko sighed in relief that his hands were free, and started on his ankles. As soon as he was free, he turned to Katara and opened his hands toward her, offering to burn her ropes too. Katara extended her bound hands toward him.

"Careful" she muttered, as he began his work. The fire helped to warm the room a little, but he knew that it just wouldn't be enough when he noticed that she was shivering as he undid her ankles.

"Are you cold?" he asked her. Katara nodded her head in response.

"A little." she mumbled, unable to keep her words smooth and unaffected. The dress she wore, even though it was beautiful on her, did no good against the cold of the room. Building up his courage, Zuko spoke up.

"I could... help with that." he said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and refusing to make eye contact with her. Katara pulled her knees up, obviously feeling slightly awkward about the whole situation. Never had she imagined that he would offer to, well, do something like what he was about to do.

She sighed on deafeat. "Yeah? Okay." She patted the floor next to her and signaled for him to come over. Zuko crawled over and leaned up against the wall next to her, letting Katara lean against his shoulder. He was happy that they were so physically close, but slightly disappointed that they weren't closer. Katara lifted her head up to look him in the eye.

"Thank you, Zuko." With that, she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and drifted into a peaceful sleep; despite the awful fact that they had just been captured and were now on some ship to some unknown destination. Yes, this was good.

* * *

... two hours earlier...

"They _WHAT?!_" Aang's eyes grew to twice their size as he put both hands on his head. Toph pushed past Sokka in an effort to try and calm the now, distressed Avatar.

"We couldn't find them, but we _did_ find some weird tracks in the sand, indicating that there must have been some sort of struggle." said Sokka, trying to give the Avatar a sense of comfort, but it wasn't working.

"I don't think Zuko would try anything funny, so they must have been captured or something." added Suki.

"Great! How will we find them?!" shouted Aang, his clenched fists glowing with fire.

"Relax, Twinkletoes! We've had people in this group captured before; it's not like we're inexperienced at getting them back." explained Toph. Aang was still filled with fear and shock. "We'll get Sparky and Sugar Queen back, easy. All we need is a plan." Toph turned her blind eyes to Sokka, who, in turn threw his hands up.

"Hey, don't look at me," Sokka pointed to Aang, "he's the Avatar!"

"Sokka, you've always had some sort of master plan up your sleeve." chirped Suki from behind.

"But we don't even know who did it!" he replied.

"Well, let's start naming off people who_ could_ have done it." added Aang. "There's Ozai and Azula"

"They're locked up good and tight. Plus, I think they might have taken us too, anyway." countered Toph.

"What about that gloomy girl that sighs a lot?" asked Suki.

"You mean Mai? Nah. I hear she's married now." answered Sokka.

"What about Sparky Sparky Boom Man? He was pretty mad the last time I saw him." Toph threw in.

"I think he's gone." Aang replied, throwing himself on the couch in frustration. Everyone stood for a while, trying to guess the identity of the captor. Soon, Toph yawned and stretched.

"Well, I'm going to bed. It's getting late." Sokka was determined to think of the name of their criminal, despite the phatigue that he was feeling . Suddenly, it hit him.

"Aang, is the moon full tonight?" he asked ecxitedly. Aang looked at him with a confused expression on his face, then turned his head to look out the window.

"Yeah. But, I don't see what that has to do with-" Sokka cut him off.

"Hama!" Aang and Toph gasped in dreaded realization. Suki, however put her hands on her hips.

"Who's Hama?"


	11. Where Are We?

_come on guys- where's the love? show me those reviews!_

_IDNOATLA_

_...indeed..._

* * *

When Zuko opened his eyes, he was still sitting in the same position as before, but something was different. It wasn't cold anymore; now, it was hot, extremely hot. He lifted his hand to wipe his forehead, and saw that it was covered in sweat. His wet hair stuck to the sides of his face, making him feel disgusting. How long had he been asleep? Zuko looked to his left to see that Katara was no longer leaning on his shoulder, but had her head in his lap. Carefull, making sure not to wake her, he brushed away the hair that had fallen around her face and tucked it behind her ear. Even if she wasn't going to return his affection, he was still going to be the best friend he could be, even while she was unconcious; this was his silent promise to her.

After about thirty minutes of sitting there, he noticed Katara beginning to wake up. She stirred as her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed herself off of Zuko's lap. Rubbing her eyes, she asked him how long she had been asleep.

"I don't know. I went to sleep too." he replied.

"Why is it so hot? It was freezing when I fell asleep." she added. Zuko shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, the door, which was on the opposite side of the room, flew open as Hama strode in, carrying a small bottle. "Did you two sleep well?" she asked innocently.

"We would have if we knew where you were taking us." replied Zuko coldly. Hama started toward Katara and popped the cork off the bottle. Katara scooted back against the wall, wanting to get as far away from the wicked woman as possible. Hama didn't use her bending this time, but grabbed Katara by the jaw, forcing her mouth open, and poured almost half the bottle down her throat. She let go of her, letting her slump against the wall, and turned to Zuko. "It's your turn, or do you want to do this the hard way again?" she said, forcing him into an uncomfortable bow. Hama grabbed Zuko by his messy hair and pulled him up to face her. "Choose carefully, like your girlfriend's life depends on it." She let out a spine-tingling cackle and gestured to Katara, laying on the floor.

The liquid was some of the worst he had ever tasted, but it went right to work. Numbness, then nothing.

* * *

The gaang searched the entire island until dawn, when they all came back to the beach house with dark circles under their eyes. Sokka sat on the couch, about to pass out from phatigue and worry.

"Okay, we now know that they are no where on this island." he said breathily. Toph was the first to respond.

"Really? I had no idea!" Even in her exhausted state, she still had the energy to be sarcastic.

"Well, If they left by boat or airship, we would have seen them." added Aang from the floor. Momo flew in through the window and landed on his chest, chattering loudly. Aang didn't even have the energy to say hello to his furry friend; he just lay on the floor, half dead.

"We could take Appa and make a few rounds around the island." suggested Suki. No one had noticed that Momo was fluttering wildly about the room, trying to get someone's attention. Aang sat up and looked at the crazy lemur.

"What is it, buddy?" he asked, letting him land on his shoulder. Momo chattered loudly again, grabbed the Avatar's tunic and tried to drag him to the door. "Okay, okay." Aang looked out the door and back to the others. "Let's all get some rest before we go on a big search and rescue mission. If Hama _is_ behind this, then we'll need our rest." Sokka, Suki, and Toph all nodded in agreement, then made their way back to their rooms, dragging their feet. Aang stayed behind and stared at the full moon, mumbling to himself.

"I just hope we're not too late."

...sleep...sleep...sleep...

At about noon, the next day, everyone was up and ready to leave. Appa had a big breakfast of cabbage, hay, and berries before they left, so he was prepared for a long flight.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang snapped the reins and the bison launched himself into the air with a low grunt.

"I hope we find them soon. My feet can't see anything from up here." said Toph, holding on to the side of the saddle for dear life. Toph was used to flying on Appa, but flying over water was a different story.

"I hope we find them soon too." mumbled Sokka, remembering the kiss that Zuko and his sister had shared the previous night. It wasn't that he thought that Zuko wouldn't take care of her; he just couldn't accept the fact that Katara was becoming a grown woman. He didn't want to admit it though. They flew all day, switching drivers periodically, until Suki spotted a small ship on the horizon.

"Look!" she shouted. The boys quickly crawled up to the front of the saddle, where Sokka pulled a spy glass from his bag. Toph was sound asleep in the back. When one can't see anything, there's not really much they can do. Aang used his hand to block the sun from his vision as he strained to see the tiny speck.

"Maybe I should go take a closer look." he said, snatching up his glider.

"No, Aang," started Sokka, "We don't know who's on that ship. It's probably best if we lay low for now. Katara and Zuko are great fighters. They can take care of themselves until we get to them." Did Sokka just say something... mature? Aang and Suki were surprised at the wisdom of Sokka's words. Sokka noticed their reaction and beamed with pride. "See? I can act smart."

As a precausion, they went higher and hid behind the clouds, so they couldn't be detected, even with a spy glass.

* * *

During her long nap, Katara could feel a lot of movement, probably from being dragged all over the place. When she opened her eyes, there was only black darkness. She put her hands, which were not bound this time, out in front of her body, to make sure she wasn't in some sort of small container. From her observations, she was actually in some place very big. Katara rose to her feet and explored what she could of her surrundings, which seemed to be set in stone, literally. She was in a cave.

"Ugh, where are we?" asked Zuko from behind her. Katara felt relieved to hear his voice. It meant that she wasn't alone.

"I'm not sure. I can't see anything." she replied, looking in the direction of his voice. Now, she knew what Toph felt like. Zuko created a small flame in the center of his palm, that cast an ominous shadow on his face. In the dim fire light, his eyes seemed to glow like the flame in his hand. Looking around at her surroundings, Katara saw that the cave was bigger than she thought, much bigger. The ceiling had to be at least twenty feet high. What struck her as odd was that it wasn't a closed off room; there were passage ways on either side of her. Was this some sick joke? Did Hama want them to run?

"Maybe we should check out these tunnels." said Zuko, getting up from the ground. "They might be our ticket out of here."

"Or our ticket to Hama." she countered, looking at him with a worried expression. Zuko huffed at the negative notion, then sat on the ground, watching the flame.

"Hama. Who is she?" he asked. Katara winced at the memory of that night when the old woman had forced bloodbending on her. A cold shiver ran down her spine.

"Hama was the one who taught me bloodbending- well, she forced me to use it." Zuko narrowed his gaze at her, confused.

"What exactly _is _bloodbending?" he finally asked, standing so he could look her in the face. Katara pushed the threatening tears back and began her explanation.

"Bloodbending is where I can bend another person to my will. Hama said that there is water in every living thing, when you control a person's water, you control them." Zuko looked on in shock as Katara unwraveled a truly dark fact. "Hama wanted me to fight with her, but I refused. She used Sokka and Aang to try to get me to use it, but instead of using it on them, I used it on _her_." He suddenly remembered his feild trip with Katara to find her mother's killer; how she had bent that man in the control room. He had never been more afraid of her in his life. Katara turned her back to him, but continued to speak.

"I do my best not to use bloodbending."

"But, why? If I had that ability, I could have taken on Azula easily." he blurted out. "Wait. You could have used your bloodbending on my sister. Why didn't you?" he asked, not controlling what he was saying. Katara turned to face him, reavealing a large tear rolling down her cheek.

"I can only use it when my bending is at its peak; during a full moon." Now he understood why Hama was able to capture the two; the moon was full that night.

"Did you learn anymore about it at the North Pole?" he asked, wondering if there was a way to get past Hama, without her suspecting it. Katara looked away and rubbed her shoulder nervously.

"A little." Zuko gave her a look that said 'and...' "I can lift someone without hurting them... badly," she sighed. "It takes a lot of hard work and concetration." Katara normally didn't enjoy talking about bloodbending, but Zuko was one of the few prople she could open up to about anything. "I don't like to use it because people can only get hurt. It's just too dangerous." Zuko understood her fear of hurting people with her abilities. He didn't want to bring up theis subject, but...

"Aang had that same problem. He was afraid of hurting people when he first started firebending, but he soon got over it." Zuko said, trying to relate to Katara. "Come to think of it; now that I can bend lightning, I'm a little..." Zuko paused, not wanting to use this weak adjective on himself. "...afraid." Katara turned her head in surprise. _Did he just say he was _afraid_? Zuko is never afraid! _

"Really?" she asked. Zuko sighed and sat on the ground, looking defeated.

"Yeah. Lighting is crazy, and can get out of control so quickly." Katara thought she saw a tear form in his eye, but he quickly wiped it away. "After the whole incident on the airship, I'll probably never want to use lightning again." Katara gasped in horror from Zuko's words.

"No, Zuko. You can't be afraid all because of _that_. You weren't even concious! It was an** accident**!" she retorted, staring at him with pleading eyes. Zuko pulled his knees up, under his chin, trying to defend himself from her blunt logic.

"Maybe that's something else we have in common." he said, his face devoid of any emotion. Katara was immediately reminded of her experience in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se. _"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." "I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."_ Zuko's voice broke her out of the memory and back to their cave. "We're both afraid of using the talents that we have. We're afraid we'll hurt someone."

"Well, I hope we get over it soon, because we're going to come up with a new way to face Hama if we want to escape." she replied, darkly. Zuko said nothing, but turned to his left and headed down the tunnel, making his flame brighter to light the way. "Where are you going?" Katara asked, following behind him.

"I'm going to find a way out of here. If we just sit here, there is no chance that we'll escape. I'd rather take a chance with the witch than have no chance at all." How could one argue with that logic? Katara had no choice but to follow him in silence.

* * *

"Where heck are we?!" shouted Toph from the back of the group.

"I don't know, but it feels... familiar... like I've been here before." Sokka replied, rubbing his chin in a thinking manner.

"Yeah, me too." added Aang from the lead. The Gaang had landed about an hour ago. Since then, they had been walking through the woods. Before them was the entrance to a large cave. Sokka and Aang had slept in dozens of caves, but for Aang, this particular cave seemed eerily familiar. "Did we come here before the invasion?" he asked, turning to Sokka. The warrior scratched his head, now in frustration at the problem.

"We might have." he replied. The equation was baffeling. The boys knew they had been there before, but when, and what happened? Toph elbowed her way past them.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to you two. If Zuko and Katara are in this cave, then we need to go in and search. Come on!" she yelled, turning on her heel and heading into the cave. Suki was first to follow, then Sokka, then Aang and Appa. The sky bison let out a low grunt, telling Aang that he didn't want to go into the cave.

"Come on, buddy. We've got Toph with us. Nothing's going to happen... I hope." the Avatar said, tugging on his reins and forcing the animal into the earth.

* * *

The further into the cave she and Zuko went, the more Katara felt like she had been in this cave. It seemed like the two had been walking for hours, when all of a sudden, a cool breeze was felt. "It must lead outside!" Katara shouted as she rushed through the tunnel. Zuko followed quickly, behind. They ran until Katara was forced to stop, due to her still, angry wound on her back. She stood there, almost panting with phatigue, doubled over. Zuko looked around, but could see nothing, even with the fire light, the walls were too far away. The room must have been extremely large.

"I don't think this is getting us anywhere." stated Zuko plainly. Katara was still doubled over, trying to catch her breath, but not having much luck. Zuko walked over to where she was and put a hand on her back (avoiding the wound). "We should stop here and take a break. You need to heal yourself before we go any further.

Controlling her breathing as best she could, Katara stood up straight, and sighed in disappointment. "I was sure we'd find the way out through here... but..." Zuko couldn't stand to see her disappointed, because there was nothing he could do to help. "You're right. I _could_ use some water." Katara looked around, uselessly, not seeing anything past her nose. "Maybe there's sopme kind of underground stream in here." she said, hopefully. Zuko expanded his fire, lighting a bigger circle around them. He listened for a trickle, but found the place to be devoid of any moisture.

"Katara, I don't think there's any-" he began.

"Found some!" Judging from the distance of her voice, she had wandered far away from where he was, causing him an enormous amount of worry.

"Where are you?!" he called.

"Over here!" she replied. Suddenly, Zuko saw a small, blue light coming from his peripheral vision. Immediately, he turned toward the light and saw that it was actually the water with which she was using to heal herself. Even when he had been friends with her for almost three years, he still found her abilities astounding.

"Where did you get the water? I listened for a stream, but there's no water in here." After the water ceased glowing, Katara turned to him and smiled sadly.

"Hama taught me a lot. There's water everywhere; sometimes just can't see it." she explained. Zuko just nodded his head, still, not fully understanding her explanation, but he wasn't going any further. The very subject of the evil old lady seemed to create an uncomfortable aura around the waterbender. Whatever had happened between Katara and Hama was obviously too upsetting to go into any great detail about.

Zuko suddenly realized that thye were right next to the wall of the cave. He squinted his eyes to get a closer look. To his surprise, the wall seemed to have a large, carved _picture_ on it.

"Katara? Did you say that you've been here before?" he asked, eyeing the carvings curiously. She turned to look at the wall and gasped at the sight of the carving. After a moment of shock, she finally spoke.

"I... I _have _been here!" she exclaimed, putting both hands on the cave wall. Quickly, she turned her head to him with determination. "Zuko, go over there." she commanded, pointing in some random direction. He looked at her in question. "Do you want to get out of here, or not?" she asked, redirecting him to the spot in the darkness. Zuko turned toward the blackness and started walking. Nothing came into light for a few steps, but then he began to make out shapes. As he walked, he could make out two large, stone boxes that seemed to be in the very middle of the room.

"Where are we, Katara?" Zuko approached the boxes, lighting up the sides of them, which seemed to also have pictures on them. Something was engraved on both boxes; one had the word _Oma _and the other had the word _Shu. _"These are coffins!" Zuko shouted in excitement. She didn't reply for a long time, making Zuko wander if she was even there anymore. "...Katara?" he prompted, awaiting her reply.

"Yes, those are coffins... and this isn't a cave."


	12. Contact

_i give you: chapter twelve!!!_

_also, i really appreciate the feedback i'm getting. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!_

_ENJOY_

* * *

"Ah, I love a good cave; so full of rocks and dirt; the perfect place for a blind earthbender." mused Toph as she guided the search party through the tunnels, which seemed to go on forever. Sokka and Aang were still puzzling over their de ja vu earlier, at the enterance. The deeper they got into the cave, the more Aang recognized the place. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a hummed tune.

"Secret tunnel... secret tunnel..." Sokka was absent mindedly singing a song to himself, that reminded Aang of the nomads they had traveled with. In a pathetic attempt to lighten the mood, he decided to finish the song.

"Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!" Suki and Toph had stopped to stare at the insane Avatar in wonder.

"What are you two doing?" asked Toph rudely.

"It's a song we learned a few years back; from some nomads." Sokka explained. Toph had never really thought of Sokka and Aang as the _singing _type. "WAIT! I know where we are! This is that lovers cave thingy!" Sokka exclaimed. Toph didn't have to see Aang to tell that his face had turned a bright red, so she laughed silently to herself.

"The _lovers cave thingy?_" asked Suki from behind.

"If this cave is for lovers, then I wouldn't be surprised if Hot-head and Sugar Queen _were_ in here." said Toph. Everyone suddenly became extremely quiet, especially Sokka, in reaction to the painfully truthful remark. "Oh, lighten up. Everyone knew that they were bound to get together _sometime_." she continued. "Those two are as different as night and day." Sokka wasn't going to let Toph get him down without a fight.

"Toph, they have _nothing_ in common! She's water, he's fire. Katara is a happy, go-lucky inspirational speaker, and Zuko is.. is... well, he's never happy. Katara's my sister and I know her better than everyone else. She would **never **like Zuko."

"Are you blind? Didn't you see the two of them kissing? Was that not proof enough for you?" While listening to their argument, Aang couldn't help but see Toph's point more than Sokka's. Katara and Zuko _were _opposites, and that was what drew them together.

"Toph has a point, Sokka. When we were at the North Pole a couple of years ago, there were two koi fish that kept balance in the spirit oasis. They were the very symbol of yin and yang. Katara and Zuko are like yin and yang. They complete eachother," Sokka was picking up the pace as they moved through the tunnel, making his torch flicker as he moved.

Toph had one more blow to deal, so she stopped dead in her tracks and stared, blindly at him. "whether you like it or not."

Sokka stopped when her harsh words reached his ears. He didn't want to admit it, but the earthbender had hit the nail on the head. "What are you talking about? If Zuko likes my little sister, I don't have any problem with it." he said deffensively. Aang, Suki, and Toph all looked at him as if they knew he was hiding something. Toph, in all her wisdom, spoke up.

"That's not the problem though, is it?" She walked toward him, making him shrink away. "The problem isn't with Zuko; it's with Katara, your wittle baby sissy." she said, in the babiest voice she could muster.

* * *

Katara slowly lowered herself onto her knees in disbelief. After all those months of travel, she had never imagined that she would have wound up in that same place, with the _dreaded Zuko_. Her hand made its way down the wall, taking in all of the glyphs made in the stone. "Zuko, have you ever heard the origin of the city of Omashu?" He walked over to her and sat down on the stone.

"No. Most of what I ever learned was about the Fire Nation." he replied, switching the small flame to his other hand.

"Well, first of all, this isn't a cave; it's a tomb." She gestured to the two stone boxes. "Those are the coffins of Oma and Shu; the first human earthbenders." Zuko looked at her in question. Answering the implied question, she closed her eyes and sighed. "They were... in love."

"Why are they burried in here?" he asked. Katara stood and offered him her hand. He took it slowly and rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off the waterbender. Zuko could feel her hand trembling within his own, so he squeezed it, letting her know that it was going to be alright. Katara led him over by the coffins. Now that he knew what lay inside them, there was a completely different sensation. She pointed to some pictures and caligraphy engraved on the front of the coffins. Zuko read aloud.

"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages. The villages were enemies, so they could not be together."

He looked at the waterbender again, searching for some kind of explanation. She said nothing, but gestured to the next picture, wanting him to read more.

"But their love was strong and they found a way. They two lovers learned earthbending from the badger-moles. They became the first earthbenders. They built elaborate tunnels so they could meet secretly."

Again, Zuko turned away from the writing to see Katara's face, but it was devoid of any emotion. Suddenly, he realized that he was still holding her hand, but she didn't seem to mind. She just picked up where he had left off in the story.

"Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever in the laberynth."

Everything was suddenly making sense. Katara quickly adopted a melancholy expression and moved her hand up to the picture as she read the next words.

"But one day, the man didn't come. He died in a war between the two villages. Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power. She could have destroyed them all, but instead, she declared the war over. Both villages helped her build a new city where they could live together in peace."

Zuko was filled with a great sense of realization. Omashu had been built on the very grounds of peace and love, but was nearly destroyed by the Fire Nation's conquest for power. Still squeezing his hand, Katara read the rest of the legend.

"The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu. They great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love."

Slowly, Katara rose from her position on the floor, as did Zuko. He watched her as she turned away from the coffins, closed her eyes, letting a tear fall down her cheek, and whispered a short phrase.

"Love is brightest in the dark." She let go of his hand and walked further into the darkness. Zuko followed and found her to be standing in front of a huge statue of the two lovers, kissing. Even if the story had anwered a lot of deep questions, more of them swam in his mind. Why did she show me this? Can it help us escape?

"So, even though Oma and Shu were from opposite ends of the spectrum, they still found a way to love each other; even in the middle of a _war._" he stared simply. Katara said nothing, but just nodded her head in agreement. Strangely, the story reminded him of his own, current love life, sort of. He didn't know, yet, if Katara loved him back. He had put the whole "relationship" thing on hold for her. Now, he didn't know if she would ever get the chance to tell him. Now was the best time. "... like us." he whispered, turning his golden eyes to her, nervously waiting for a response.

"Yes. I guess, after years of conflict, love can still be stronger than ever... sometimes, we just don't know it's there." With these words, she turned her eyes to his and made an electrifying contact with him he had never felt. As they stared at each other, Zuko felt a small smile creep into his features; Katara felt the same thing. "Zuko, I know this sounds crazy, but..." Her cheeks turned a bright red as she stuttered through her words. "... uh... Ineedyoutokissme." she mumbled.

"What?" She sighed and took his hand again.

"I need you to kiss me." she repeated, her cool hand shaking in his grasp.

"Why do I need to kiss you?" he asked. Suddenly, an angry thought popped into his head. _"Why are you asking questions, you IDIOT! Isn't this what you've wanted? _She lowered her head, ashamed of her embarrassing request.

"I was told that the only way out of this place is the love like the kind between Oma and Shu." She stopped and stared at him, waiting for him to laugh in her face, but it never came.

"Katara, I love you, but do you love me?" he asked, taking his hand from hers and lifting her head to make eye contact. Tears streaked her face as she trembled under the pressure of the question. He brushed the stray hair from her face, savoring the contact between her skin and his. After a long while, she spoke.

"Yes, Zuko. I love you." His heart was pounding with all the joy and happiness he had ever felt in his life. The girl he burned for returned the glow, and nothing stood in his way. She said nothing else, but only smiled with the same happiness.

* * *

_Yes, the lines about the two lovers were the exact same ones from the actual episode in season 1._


	13. Confrontations

_I give you: chapter 13!!!!_

_GAH!!! you guys are awsome!!! I got some of the best reviews..._

_thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

* * *

"Wait! There's someone else here!" shouted Toph as the group continued through the seemingly endless maze. She sprinted towards the wall of the cave and everyone else followed.

"Is it Katara and Zuko?!" asked Suki as she dragged Appa towards the gathering. Toph put two hands on the wall and focused on the vibrations.

"Um, I don't think so. It's just one person." she replied. Sokka and Aang turned to eachother, eyes wide with fear.

"What if it's Hama?" Sokka asked, putting both hands on the sides of his head, dramatically. Aang looked at Toph, asking the same question.

"Could be. They're moving toward a big room. That's all I can see."

* * *

Katara and Zuko sat in complete silence, trying to wrap their minds around what they had revealed to eachother. Katara could feel Zuko's hand still on hers, not for protection, but out of love. His amber eyes seemed more beautiful, now, than ever. In about a thirty-second span, she could see all of the pain and abuse that had been inflicted on him in the past. Suddenly, she noticed that he was slowly moving towards her. She felt hot, now; not because of him, but because her heart was hammering away. Just as his lips were about to make sweet contact with hers, there was a loud rumbling on the other side of the room. Both of them jerked they're heads away to see the intruder. It was Hama.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you two would try to escape." She brushed her gray hair away from her face, nonchelantly. "No matter." With a swift wave of her hands, she grabbed water from the air and sent Katara crashing against the wall, surely re-opening the wound on her back_. NO_! Zuko stood to face the woman in a firebending stance.

"Not this time!" He thrust his hands out in front of him, unleashing the inferno on the old woman. Using the water in the air, Hama sent a bundle of razor-sharp ice daggers in his direction. Zuko dodged them and retaliated with more fire. Suddenly, he saw a wave of water come out of his peripheral vision and wash over Hama, knocking her off of her feet. Katara had regained her ground and began fighting along side him.

"She's got no bloodbendong! We can take her down easily!" Katara shouted. Zuko looked at her and nodded. He knew that she must be in some major pain if she was still fighting, but soon returned to the battle before him. Before he could react, Hama slammed him up against the statue with her own wall of water, and froze him there.

Katara immediately, waved her arm, un-froze Zuko from the stone, and brought him down safely.

"Oh, Katara. I don't need the moon to bloodbend. I've become even more powerful than you!" Hama's evil cackle echoed throughout the room as the muscles in her arms tensed. Katara didn't know whether she was planning on using the deadly art on her or Zuko, but the she knew one thing; she couldn't let him get hurt on her account.

Katara suddnely, saw Hama's gaze point toward the firebender, so she did the only thing she had time to do. Mustering all the strength in her body, and throwing the agonizing sensation aside, she sprinted towards him with a piercing cry. "NO!"

The fatal bloodbending that was meant for the Fire Lord was suddenly channeled at his waterbender.

* * *

The Gaang was now running frantically to keep up with their earthbending guide. "I can feel them! They're this way!" she shouted as she sprinted through passageway after passageway. Sokka was going mad with fear with each passing second. He had never been more scared for his sister in his entire life.

"Can you tell what they're doing?!" shouted Aang from on top of Appa. The bison's footsteps shook the very earth, but the group wasn't concerened when they heard Toph's response.

"There's three of them, and they're fighting!" Sokka, Suki, and Aang all looked at each other, eyes wide with fear. Suddenly, they came to a huge, stone door. Sokka, in his frantic state, brgan pushing on the stone, in an attempt to get through, but was pulled aside by Toph.

"Forget it, Snoozles! This is my job!"

* * *

Katara felt her limbs go numb as she shielded Zuko from his attacker. Her body was frozen in that same, running position as she stared at the ground. Zuko looked on in amazment as she protected him. Quickly, he looked up at Hama, who seemed surprised at first, but a sinister grin soon took over.

"That's alright. Either way is fine with me." She clenched her hands into fists, out in front of her, summoning a quick gasp from Katara.

"What are you doing?!" Zuko shouted, forming another offensive stance.

"Well, since you're next, I might as well tell you." Zuko was feozen at the horrific tone of her voice. "I can easily kill your little lover by stopping all blood-flow within her veins." He was speechless as he looked down at the waterbender's face, which had now turned a bright shade of red. Her eyes were squinted shut and her teeth were clenched tightly.

"STOP! She can't breathe!" he shouted desperately.

"That's the general idea, yes." Hama replied sarcastically. Katara face was now turning a light shade of purple; within seconds, she would die. There had to be _something _he could do.

Feeling the power and desire within him, Zuko closed his eyes and focused all his energy on his waterbending opponent. "No, you'll not take her from me." he whispered. Knowing what he was about to do, he opened his eyes and smirked at the witch. Extending his fingers and letting the chi flow through him, he unleashed a bolt of lightning from his fingertips.

Hama had no time to react. She was thrown back, against the wall, causing an avalanche of rocks to tumble onto her. Zuko lowered himself onto one knee and lifted a now, gasping Katara from the ground. The color was slowly returning to her face, but they weren't out of the dark yet. She was still seriously wounded and they needed to get out, quickly.

Slowly, Katara opened her eyes to see Zuko staring down at her with great concern. A sharp pain was emitted from her back and her head, which made her wince at the sensation.

"Katara, you know how to get out of here. How?" he asked frantically. The answer was on the tip of her toungue, but she couldn't speak, due to the agonizing pain she was experiencing. Without a word, she lifted her feeble arms up and around his neck. Zuko took the hint and leaned down to meet her half way. Katara's lips brushed against his as he lifted her further from the ground.

Almost instantly, there was a bright light that almost blinded the couple. Reluctantly, Zuko pulled away from the kiss and looked up towards the source of the light. On the ceiling, were hundreds of little, green stones that shone with a light like he had never seen. Zuko was destracted from the oddity as he felt Katara go limp in his arms.

Suddenly, he heard a loud "BOOM" from the other end of the room. "KATARA?! ARE YOU IN HERE?!" "ZUKO, ARE YOU GUYS IN HERE?!" The shouts and cries were coming from Aang and Sokka. He had never been happier th see them.

"We're over here!" he replied, holding Katara bridal style and walking towards the group. The moment Sokka layed eyes on him, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER!? WHAT DID YOU _DO_?!"

"I didn't do anything! It was that crazy Hama lady!" Zuko shouted back. Sokka stepped back and calmed himself. Aang hopped off of Appa and took the lead again.

"Before we start asking questions, we need to get out of this cave." He paused for a moment as he looked at the blazing stones on the ceiling. Adopting an awkward look and rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like we won't have any problem getting out." he said, starting toward the trail of green diamonds.

"Wait, that's how we get out?" Zuko asked, surprised. He looked down at the unconcious waterbender and realized that her kiss was the ticket out. Their love had saved them.

Throughout the whole treck through the tunnels, Zuko remained silent and contemplative, still in shock. Now that they were home free, little questions had come from the corners of his mind and attacked his thoughts; questions that would need to be answered as soon as Katara woke up.


	14. Things to Come

__

well, this is it. the last chapter to this story. I hope everyone enjoyed it. wow! i'm surprised I finished it. :)

_thanks to everybody who reviewed. it kept me going._

_IDNOATLA_

_If there are a few typos, i'm sorry. I was excited. _

* * *

Katara snapped her eyes open when she heard the urgent whispers of her friends. "Twelve?" It was Suki. What was she talking about? She was obviously talking to Toph.

"Yeah." she replied, yawning. "I'm going to bed now. Come and get us if she wakes up." With that, Toph exited the room, leaving only Suki and Katara. The next thing she noticed was the patter of rain out on the patio of her bedroom. It was a calming sound that almost tempted her to fall asleep again. Katara glanced around the room, trying to find where Suki was, but the curtains on her canopy bed were drawn about half way. Slowly, she leaned foreward to a sitting position, but winced when she felt daggers in her back.

"Oh, you're awake!" chirped Suki from the foot of the bed. Katara's head was pounding as she struggled to stay up. Suki obviously saw her discomfort and helped her lay back, onto the pillows. "Don't try to move around too much." she instructed, pulling the curtains back. Something on Katara's bedside table caught her eye. She turned her head to see a bright bouquet of fire-lillies in a deep blue vase. Suki noticed her taking interest in the flowers.

"Zuko brought those in for you. He's been worried sick." She sat on the side of the bed and put a hand to Katara's forehead. "Hmmm, you still feel a little hot." Katara was becoming confused.

"Suki, how long have I been asleep?" she asked. The other girl looked at her with a somewhat guilty expression.

"Maybe... about... a week... or two." she stuttered.

"WHAT?! Two weeks?!" Katara shouted. She began to develop a horrible migrane as a result of her shouting. Katara threw both hands to the sides of her head and clenched her teeth, trying to drown out the pain.

"Calm down, Katara! You're going to get sick again." Suki took both of her hands and layed them back at her sides, forcing her to settle down.

"Get sick again? What do you mean _again_?" she asked, eyeing Suki suspiciously. Again, the girl adopted the ever guilty look as she answered Katara's questions.

"Well, you've kind of... thrown up a couple of times." she replied. _Thrown up? EEEEEEEEEW!!!!!_ Regaining her initial train of thought, Katara continued with the questions.

"How many is _a couple_?" Suki sighed in defeat as she rose from the bed.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out." Katara nodded her head in agreement. "You've thrown up twelve times within the past two weeks." Immediately, she squinted her eyes shut, preparing for another outburst from Katara, but she remained silent.

"What exactly, made me so sick?" she asked, struggling to keep her cool.

"Two things: that sleep inducer that Hama gave you, and the fact that the wound on your back may have gotten infected." Still keeping her composure, Katara just put a hand on her forehead.

"Great." she said, sarcastically.

Katara sat in the bed, completely helpless, as Suki filled her in on that past two weeks. Apparently, they had been working in shifts to watch her. Zuko had been coming in to check on her throughout the day, because he was so busy being Fire Lord and all. Toph had been keeping track of how many times Katara had thrown up and planned to announce it to Zuko, seeing if he would faint.

"How do you feel, now?" asked Suki. Katara didn't really know how she felt. Mostly she was numb and tired.

"How should I feel?" she countered. Suki felt her forehead again.

"You're still pretty warm, but it may just be the humidity. It has been raining for the past few days." Katara stared out the window at the rain, soaking the courtyard outside her room. Suddenly, there was a churning feeling inside her that made her clutch her stomach. Katara shot up, into a sitting position again, and rocked back and forth. "Uh oh! Where's tha bucket?" Just in the nick of time, Suki held a metal bucket before Katara, who immediately wretched into the container. After she was done, Katara layed back on her pillow, overcome by a wave of exhaustion and nausia. Before she closed her eyes, she heard Suki utter one more word.

"Thirteen."

* * *

Zuko sat in his throne room, trying to listen to the boring words of the numorous government officials, but his mind was dwelling on other things. _How can anyone envy this stupid job?_ For the past two weeks, he had worried himself sick over Katara. The only sign of life she had shown was throwing up almost every day. He didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. The Gaang had been working in shifts, keeping an eye on Katara and reporting any "activity". Zuko, on the other hand, was busy with meetings and paper work, so he did the best he could to check up on her four or five times a day; once in the morning, once after lunch (if he felt like eating), once after dinner, and once or twice in the middle of the night (he wasn't sleeping well anyway). Suddenly, his thoughts were pulled back to the meeting when his uncle elbowed him.

"This has been a most productive meeting, gentlemen. The Fire Lord and I look foreward on hearing your response to General Ling's proposal." he said suavely. Iroh elbowed Zuko again, wanting him to officially end the meeting.

"Um, meeting adjourned." he said, stumbling over his words. The officials rose, bowed, and left the room. As soon as the door shut behind them, Zuko yanked the golden comb from his hair, letting it fall about his face. "I'm going to go check on Katara." he stated massaging his aching temples. "Could you come and get me before my next meeting, Uncle?" he asked, turning his head to look at Iroh. He just smiled at his nephew/son and chuckled.

"Zuko, can you tell me what we were talking about in that last meeting?" he asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Of course... uh... something about... trade?" he responded. _How pathetic._

"That's what I thought. Lucky for you, I have gone ahead and cancled all of your meetings for the next three days. You can't concentrate on your job when you're in love." Zuko was suddenly frightened.

"Uncle, I can't take a break from being the Fire Lord!" he shouted. Iroh just put a calming hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"You're not taking a break. You're patching up foreign relations with the Water Tribe." Iroh winked when he said this. Zuko suddenly smiled and hugged the old man. Even through all the turmoil he had experienced, his uncle still knew how to cheer him up, even without tea. Zuko bowed to Iroh as a gesture of thanks.

"Thank you, Uncle." he said, then he left the room to go change out of his robes. The regular robes he wore were heavy and uncomfortalbly hot, therefore he was more than happy to trade them for something more casual. As he made his way to Katara's bsd chamber, he wondered when she would wake up. Was today the day, or would it be another week? Zuko shook his head of the thought and continued on to his destination.

When he opened the door, Suki was sitting in a chair next to Katara's bed, wiping her forehead with a washrag. Katara wasn't the same as the last time he saw her. Her expression was filled with pain and her face actually looked a little green.

"How is she?" he asked. Suki whipped around, surprised to see him, but soon returned to her work.

"She was awake." Zuko's heart jumped when those three words reached his ears. Today _was _the day.

"She was? For how long?" he continued, now wishing that he had come sooner. Suki pulled the rag away and rose from the chair.

"Just long enough for me to fill her in, then throw up." she replied. Well, it wasn't what he was hoping for, but she had woken up, which was a huge improvment. Suki walked over the wash basin on Katara's vanity and rinsed the rag out.

"You can go. I'm going to stay here tonight." he informed her. She turned to look at him, curiously.

"You're staying? Don't you have other Fire Lord stuff to do?" she asked, hesitantly. Zuko just shook his head.

"Uncle cancled all of my meetings for the next three days." he replied, smiling. Suki just nodded and exited the room. Zuko shut the door behind her and turned to face a sleeping Katara. He sat down in the chair and took her hand in his own. Her hands felt cold, now, probably from throwing up. He heated his own hand, attempting to warm hers, and it seemed to work because she lost pained the expression and adopted a more peaceful one. He could have sworn that there was a slight smile to her features as well.

For the rest of that day, Zuko sat in silence in the same chair, dozing off once or twice, but never letting go of her. A couple of times he felt a slight squeeze from her hand, but she never woke up.

That evening, he sat on the large couch and read some old scrolls that Katara had acquired during their travels. One of them was the legend of the Painted Lady. It said that the spirit would help the people of a small village on a river. Zuko chuckled when he saw the picture of the spirit at the bottom of the page. She wore a huge, straw hat, purple robes, and some outrageous red face paint. _Wait, how can I laugh at this? Didn't I disguise myself as the Blue Spirit on a couple of occasions? _Zuko rolled up the parchment and proceeded to pace about the room. As he approached her vanity, he noticed the blue box that contained the silver comb he gave her. Opening the box, he discovered that she had put her mother's necklace in, along side the comb.

"Bring's back memories, doesn't it?" Quickly, Zuko snapped the box shut and turned toward the bed, where Katara was sitting. She didn't look angry, but like she had just pulled a prank. He had seen that look on Toph's face on more than one occasion.

"I was just trying to steal the necklace, again." he responded, playfully. She eyed him suspiciously, then proceeded to swing her legs out to the side.

"Are you going to hire some pirates and capture me again?" she asked, going along with the jibes.

"Only if I have to." Zuko now made his way over to where she was sitting, on the side of the bed. She leaned toward him, snatched the blue box from his hands, and took the necklace from it.

"I was planning on coming quietly, anyway." Katara slowly stood, taking Zuko by surprise. He wasn't expecting her to be standing if she had woken up just this afternoon. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist.

"I'm glad you're okay." he whispered into her hair. Katara had nothing to say, so she just hugged him tighter. Slowly, she pulled out of the hug and gazed at him lovingly. Katara wanted to kiss him so badly, but just as she was about to, he put his fingers in between his mouth and hers.

"What is it?" she asked, looking hurt. Without explaining his reasons, he scooped her up and placed her on the bed, and knelt by her side. He grabbed the bucket from her bedside and showed it to her. "But, I feel fine, now." she pleaded. Zuko chuckled and set the bucket back down.

"You say that now." he replied, snidely. Katara just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. She had to admit that the nausia hadn't completely worn off, and she didn't want to make him sick too. "I've got to go, for now." he said, suddenly. Katara hadn't noticed that he had taken the box away from her. He opened it up, took out her mother's necklace, and put it around her neck. After that, he took out the silver comb and placed delicately, in her hair.

"Where are you going?" she asked, pleading with here eyes, that he would stay. He took her hand laced his fingers with hers.

"If I'm going to be sitting around, watching you all day, I'll have to get _something_ done." he explained, stroking her forehead with his other hand, coaxing her back to sleep. "Besides, I've been meaning to meet up with an old friend for a long time, now." Katara sat up straight in her bed.

"Who?" she asked urgently. Zuko didn't say a word, but put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lightly, on the forehead. Reluctantly, she lay down and waited patiently for his answer. He smiled at her and uttered two small words. "...my mother."

With that, he left the room, leaving Katara to gaze out of the window at the sky. The clouds were just beginning to part, revealing a crescent moon in a starry sky. Until she went to sleep, Katara pondered the things to come within the dreary days to come.

* * *

A/N - there will, **indeed**, be a sequel ^-^ I wouldn't leave you hangin'

I hope you guys enjoyed my first story. -curlytop


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